Hungary, Slovakia jointly initiate procedure against Ukraine over ban on Russian crude oil transits

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Hungary and Slovakia have jointly initiated a European Union consultation procedure against Ukraine in response to Kyiv's decision to halt Russian oil company Lukoil’s crude oil transits, the Hungarian foreign minister said on Monday.

"The Hungarian government is in contact with its Slovak counterpart on Ukraine’s stoppage of Russian crude oil transit shipments to the two countries," Peter Szijjarto said at a press conference following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

They have requested that the European Commission mediate a consultation process with Ukraine, he said.

According to Szijjarto, Ukraine's decision to stop Lukoil’s crude oil transits has severely jeopardized Hungary and Slovakia's energy supplies.

"We have told Ukraine’s authorities that it has been an incomprehensible, unacceptable and unfriendly decision… they showed some readiness to remedy the situation, but those endeavors were somehow interrupted halfway," he said.

He said Hungary's crude oil needs could not be met without Russian resources because energy supplies are a matter of infrastructure rather than politics, and there are no other routes available.

"As a result, Hungary, together with Slovakia and Czechia, has been granted exemption from EU sanctions in terms of imports," said Szijjarto.

Earlier last week, Slovakia and Hungary said they had stopped receiving oil from key supplier Lukoil after Ukraine imposed a ban last month on the transit of resources from the Russian energy company via its territory.

"Lukoil supplies have not been able to arrive in Hungary for several weeks… with this new regulation, Ukraine prohibited the transit of crude oil supplies from Lukoil," he said.

Hungary receives 2 million metric tons of oil from the Russian group each year, accounting for roughly a third of its total oil imports.

"I spoke with the Ukrainian foreign minister yesterday (Sunday), and he said they allow every oil transfer through," he said, adding that “it's not true.”

If the European Commission does not bring a solution, he warned that Hungary and Slovakia will take the matter to an international court.

Earlier, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said that his country will not be a "hostage" in Ukraine-Russia relations.

Despite EU sanctions against Russia, landlocked Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive natural gas and oil through Ukraine.