Hungary is joining Slovakia in trying to use EU rules to keep access to a cheap product that almost everyone else must ditch: Russian oil.
Their maneuvering comes after Ukrainian sanctions blocked the transit of crude oil through a pipeline sold by Russia’s largest private oil company, Lukoil, which could deprive the two countries of a third of their oil imports.
Hungary and Slovakia have challenged the rules, arguing the sanctions violate a 2014 trade deal between Kiev and the EU and asking the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, to intervene, Politico reports.
The request put the EU in a difficult situation. Officials know they have to play by the rules — and they have, issuing multiple statements saying they are reviewing the facts and exploring options. But behind the scenes and in discussions among EU diplomats, there is considerable frustration that this problem is even on Brussels’ agenda.
Everyone else in the EU has found ways to get rid of Russian oil, some angry diplomats said – it’s not their problem that Hungary and Slovakia used sanctions relief to keep importing. Hungary even increased its imports of Russian oil, causing particular resentment.
“Many EU members have undertaken expensive but necessary efforts to wean themselves off dependence on Russian gas and oil … largely because they smell blood,” said one EU diplomat, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity for this story. could speak openly.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has argued that its sanctions are aimed at choking off a key source of revenue for Russia’s war effort. On Friday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mihajlo Podoljak said that the measure “has nothing to do with blackmail”.
The comments come as EU hostility to Budapest grows, with countries growing increasingly fed up with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over his friendly ties to Russia and continued efforts to ease sanctions. And Slovakia is increasingly annoying the EU, as populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is swinging Bratislava toward a more pro-Russian stance and suspending state military aid to Ukraine.
That has left few willing listeners in Brussels now that both countries are looking for help to keep their Russian oil.
