"Hungarian PM Viktor Orban called on Volodymyr Zelensky to allow inspectors to assess the state of the Druzhba pipeline - amid claims that Kiev was 'lying' about the extent of the damage - and said he and Slovakia's Robert Fico had set up joint committee for it, speaking on Friday. "The Druzhba oil pipeline is being blocked by Zelensky and Ukraine. This is dangerous not only for Hungary but for Slovakia too. Zelensky and his circle claim there is a technical, engineering obstacle to restarting the pipeline," he said. "According to the knowledge available to Slovakia and Hungary, this does not correspond to reality; no technical or engineering obstacles exist whatsoever, and the pipeline has been shut off solely for political reasons." "Therefore, I agreed with Robert Fico that we will establish a joint investigative committee, whose task will be to go to the site and verify the reality with their own eyes. I therefore call upon President Zelensky to allow this investigative committee entry and to ensure the necessary conditions for its work," he added. It followed a phone call between Orban and Fico. Ukraine claims the pipeline was damaged by a 'Russian attack', while Hungary and Slovakia claim the halt in supplies is a 'political' move. The European Commission initially said it wouldn't be applying any pressure on Kiev to speed up 'repairs' - although later confirmed that President Ursula von der Leyen had told Zelensky to 'accelerate' them. Hungary blocked the 20th package of sanctions on Russia this week - and said it would halt the latest 90 billion euro loan from the EU to Ukraine too - as the row escalated."