Costa made the statement at a joint news conference in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“Of course, when an EU member state [in this case, Hungary and Slovakia] has certain problems with another country, a third country, it is precisely up to European institutions to support those member states and to sort these matters out with that country,” Costa said.
“That is what we did together with President Zelenskyy regarding this pipeline. So we agreed that in the coming days Ukraine will assess how long it will take to repair this pipeline.”
Costa also said Hungary and Slovakia have alternative routes for receiving oil.
“In any case ... there is an alternative through the Adria pipeline from Croatia to Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia,” he said.
“There are also other territorial alternatives that can be used; it’s a minor issue for ensuring energy supply.”
He described Hungary’s behavior within the EU as “another matter.”
“The conduct of an EU member state must be guided by the very important principle of fair and open cooperation,” Costa added.
“Therefore, when the European Council agrees and adopts a decision, all EU member states must cooperate to implement it. No one can then stop or block or try to block a decision adopted by the European Council.”
“That is why I wrote to Prime Minister Viktor Orban that
Hungary is violating the principle of fair and open cooperation. I urge Hungary
to immediately cooperate in implementing the decision adopted by the European
Council on Dec. 18 [approving a $106 billion loan to Ukraine].”