EU rejects Hungary's complaint in oil dispute
Ukraine halts part of Russian oil deliveries via its territory. Hungary and Slovakia accuse Kyiv of violating an agreement and file a complaint with the EU Commission. They now receive an interim response.
In the dispute over new Ukrainian sanctions against the Russian oil company Lukoil, the European Commission takes the wind out of the sails of criticism from Hungary and Slovakia. A spokesman in Brussels said that, based on an initial analysis, there are currently no indications that the sanctions threaten the supply security in the EU. Previously, missing oil volumes from Lukoil could be compensated by other Russian suppliers. These can continue to pump oil through the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline, which runs from Russia through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.
The foreign ministers of Hungary and Slovakia had previously written a complaint letter to the EU Commission and demanded intervention by the authority led by Ursula von der Leyen. The two countries accuse Ukraine of violating an association agreement with the EU by restricting the Lukoil oil transit. The agreement states that the transit of energy goods must not be hindered. The spokesman for the EU Commission stressed that Hungary and Slovakia could now provide further information. However, urgent consultations on the matter are not considered necessary by the authority.
In principle, an import ban on Russian oil has been in place in the EU for some time. However, there are exceptions for countries that are particularly dependent on Russian pipeline oil due to their geographical location. Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto even demanded that the tariff-free status of Ukraine be lifted if it does not reverse the transit ban for Lukoil. The minister also stressed that Hungary will continue to block the payment of EU funds for weapons and ammunition supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv's decision remains unchanged. In total, this amounts to 6.5 billion euros, according to Hungary.
From Szijjarto's point of view, the step taken by Kyiv is particularly serious because Ukraine imports a lot of electricity via Hungary in return. In Hungary, there is also concern that the stoppage of Russian oil deliveries could lead to an increase in fuel prices for consumers. If the Hungarian government were to hold Ukraine responsible for this, it would also be a problem for the EU: Many people in Hungary are already critical of the strong military support from the EU.
The EU Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, addresses the complaint from Hungary and Slovakia, stating that initially, there seem to be no concerns about EU supply security due to Ukrainian restrictions on Lukoil oil transit. The Commission spokesperson encourages Hungary and Slovakia to provide additional information, indicating that urgent consultations are not deemed necessary at this stage.
