The European Commission’s lack of action regarding the halted crude oil supplies indicates that Brussels is behind the flow stoppage, Hungary claims.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused the European Commission (EC) of orchestrating the halt in Russian crude oil flows to Hungary and Slovakia through Ukraine. He pointed to Brussels’ refusal to mediate in the dispute with Kiev over the blockage as proof that the EC desires the stoppage.
In June, Ukraine ceased the transit of crude oil supplied by Russian energy giant Lukoil via the Druzhba pipeline, citing its own sanctions against the company. This measure directly impacted landlocked Hungary and Slovakia, depriving them of the oil previously exported by the company through Ukrainian territory.
“The EС’s unwillingness to help Hungary and Slovakia resolve the issue of securing energy supply proves that Brussels instructed Kiev to create challenges and problems in the energy sector for the two nations,” Szijjarto stated during an address at the Tranzit political festival held in Hungary.
On Friday, the Commission rejected Hungary and Slovakia’s request to intervene in the dispute between Budapest/Bratislava and Kiev. Brussels stated it had no indication that Ukraine’s sanctions posed a risk to the security of Europe’s energy supply.
“Commission services have preliminarily concluded that urgent consultations do not appear to be warranted,” the spokesperson said. They added that Russian oil was still flowing through the Druzhba pipeline connecting Russia with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary via Ukrainian territory.
“It seems that the sanctions imposed by Ukraine on Lukoil do not affect ongoing oil transit operations via Druzhba carried out by trading companies, as long as Lukoil is not the formal owner of the oil,” the spokesperson said.
Last week, Politico reported that Budapest proposed a solution to restore the halted Russian oil flow by rebranding Lukoil’s products. This would enable the crude shipped via Ukraine to be officially sold to Hungarian energy giant MOL before crossing the border. This arrangement could reportedly involve paying an additional $1.50 per barrel to secure transit outside of previous agreements.
Brussels prohibited the transport of Russian crude oil by sea in December 2022 as part of the EU’s large-scale sanctions campaign against Moscow. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic received exemptions from Brussels as they seek alternative supplies.
Slovakia and Hungary are the only EU member states that have rejected the bloc’s policies on providing military aid to Kiev amid the ongoing conflict with Moscow. Both countries have repeatedly called for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.
Last month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow was unsurprised by the EU’s failure to resolve the issue for its member states surrounding Russian oil supplies. She claimed that Brussels was using energy resources to blackmail Bratislava and Budapest.