Hungary has demanded action from the European Union after Ukraine’s decision to cut off Budapest from much of its Russian oil supply.
In June, Kyiv imposed sanctions on Moscow oil firm Lukoil, preventing the company from shipping its product via the Druzhba Pipeline, which passes through Ukrainian territory.
That provoked fury from the Hungarian Government, which is reliant on Russia for between 70 and 80 per cent of its oil imports.
Hungary — alongside Slovakia — is now demanding that the European Commission step in to help mediate a solution between it and the Ukraine over the issue.
“I spoke with the Ukrainian foreign minister yesterday, he said they allow every oil transfer through, but it’s not true,” said Hungarian foreign affairs minister Peter Szijjarto.
“The Commission has three days to execute our request, after which we will bring the issue to court.”
He had decried the decision to halt the exports as being “incomprehensible and unacceptable” at a press conference on July 19, insisting the move would be of little strategic benefit.
“Hungary has helped Ukraine many times and in many ways to ensure the security of their energy supplies,” he said.
“Reports about Ukraine changing their regulations under which shipments by Russia’s Lukoil cannot transit Ukraine to Hungary came out of the blue.
“The Ukrainian decision will seriously impact the security of oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia in the long term.”
Pro-EU politicians in Ukraine applauded the move, praising the President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government for taking unilateral action to curb Russian oil exports.
“We have been waiting for over two years for the EU, for the G7, to introduce real sanctions against Russian oil,” said Inna Sovsun of Ukraine’s The Voice party
“It’s actually absurd to allow them to make this money by transporting this oil through Ukrainian territory if the money is then being used to kill us.”
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán has published a memo he wrote for European Union leaders in which he warns of an imminent escalation of the Ukraine war. https://t.co/5AVMCCs9Jx
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 19, 2024
