Hungary accuses the EU of blocking oil supplies from Russia

2024-08-24 22:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Hungary accuses the EU of blocking oil supplies from Russia

Peter Szijjarto, Foreign Minister of Hungary

Hungary's foreign policy chief said on Saturday that the European Commission's decision not to mediate in a dispute over the blockade of oil supplies from Russia via Ukraine to his country suggests that Brussels was behind the blockade.

Hungary and Slovakia have protested since Ukraine put Russian oil producer Lukoil on a sanctions list in June, banning Russian oil from passing through Ukrainian territory to Slovak and Hungarian refineries.

The unsubstantiated accusation by Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto comes a day after the European Commission rejected a request from Hungary and Slovakia to mediate with Ukraine over the sanctions in question.

"The fact that the European Commission stated that it was not ready to help to ensure the supply of energy to Hungary and Slovakia suggests that the order was sent from Brussels to Kiev to cause challenges and problems in the supply of energy to Hungary and Slovakia," he said. Mr. Szijjarto during a meeting.

A spokesman for the European Commission declined to comment on Mr. Szijjarto's allegations.

The EC, which has supported Ukraine since the start of Russia's aggression in 2022, has repeatedly urged EU countries to end their dependence on energy supplies from Moscow. The EU has imposed sanctions on most Russian oil imports.

On Friday, a spokesman for the European Commission said there was no indication that Ukraine sanctions had jeopardized European countries' energy supplies, while Russian oil continues to be transported through the Druzhba pipeline, which also links Russia to Slovakia and Hungary via its territory. Ukraine. Until the publication of the news, there were no reactions from the Ukrainian government.

Slovakia and Hungary are members of the bloc and have opposed military aid from Western allies to Ukraine as it fights Russian invaders.

The southern branch of the pipeline passes through Ukraine to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary and has served as the main source of supply to their refineries for years.

Last month Mr Szijjarto made similar comments as he accused the European Commission of blackmail over the oil dispute, saying perhaps "Brussels, not Kiev, was the one who masterminded everything".

A Hungarian government official said Thursday that the Hungarian oil company MOL was in the final stages of discussions to create a way to secure crude oil supplies from Russia./VOA