Hungary is facing a fuel crisis due to Ukraine's restrictions on the transit of Russian oil.
Slovakia and Hungary have sounded the alarm. All because of Ukraine's strengthening of sanctions against the Russian oil giant “Lukoil“. The Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico called the restrictions senseless, and the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry Peter Szijjarto “incomprehensible and unaccepted “.
What is known about the new conflict that has matured due to the blocking of Russian oil – we will tell you further.
Suspension of Lukoil oil through Ukraine
Slovakia and Hungary said they stopped receiving oil from Russia's Lukoil after strengthening Ukrainian sanctions against it.
According to the Slovak oil transport operator Transpetrol, supplies from Lukoil have stopped, but supplies from other Russian exporters are arriving.
The Slovak Ministry of Economy said that this step will affect the Bratislava oil refinery Slovnaft.
” According to information we received from Transpetrol, Russian oil supplies to Slovakia have not been stopped. Information from Slovnaft indicates that the problem only concerns supplies from a specific supplier, a Russian company “LUKoil,” said the representative of the Ministry of Economy Maria Pavlusik.
It should be noted that Lukoil has been under Ukrainian sanctions since 2018, but they only concerned the withdrawal of capital, restrictions on trade operations and a ban on participation in the privatization or leasing of state property. Last month, the National Security and Defense Council expanded sanctions against the company, adding, in particular, a transit ban.
Slovakia's reaction
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Šmyhal. In it, he criticized Ukraine's tightening of sanctions against the Russian company Lukoil, whose oil was used by the Bratislava refiner Slovnaft. In particular, he called the restrictions from the Ukrainian side “senseless.”
According to the Prime Minister, the sanctions do not harm Russia, but mainly the EU countries.
“Slovakia does not intend to be a hostage to Ukrainian-Russian relations, and the decision of the Ukrainian president means that the Slovak oil refinery Slovnaft, part of the Hungarian MOL group, will receive 40% less oil than is needed for processing” , he was indignant Fico.
He added that this will have an impact not only on Slovakia, but also on Ukraine, since oil from Slovnaft accounts for almost a tenth of its consumption.
Hungary threw a tantrum
Hungary faces a fuel shortage after Ukraine banned oil supplies to the Russian company LUKoil through its territory. The country depends on Russian oil exports by 70%, LUKoil supplied half of this volume.
So the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Szijjártó criticized Ukraine's decision to stop the transit of Lukoil oil to Hungary and called it “incomprehensible and unacceptable.”
Szijjártó stressed that Hungary has found temporary solutions to stabilize supplies, but they are not suitable for Norbane in the long term and a “quick solution” is needed. According to him, Hungary and Slovakia are very dependent on oil supplies through the Druzhba oil pipeline and about 2 million tons were received annually from Lukoil.
“This decision seriously jeopardizes the security of supplies to Hungary and Slovakia in the long term,” – said the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.
In addition, he called on Ukraine to respond and said that he plans to raise this issue at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
Ukraine's response
As explained in the press service of the operator of the oil transportation system of Ukraine “Ukrtransnafta” , oil transit to the EU through the territory of Ukraine is carried out as planned, restrictions apply only to “Lukoil”.
“Oil transport to European countries is carried out as planned in accordance with received applications from European customers”, said Ukrtransnafta.
The company added that PJSC Lukoil, to which sanctions have been applied, is not the owner of oil transported through Ukraine for the Hungarian energy company Mol Nyrt – Mol confirmed this information to Ukrtransnafta in a letter sent after tightening of NSDC sanctions.
That is, other Russian suppliers can transport oil to the EU through Ukraine and beyond.
Recall that the chairman of the board of directors of the Russian oil company LUKoil, Ravil Maganov, fell from the window of the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow and died.
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