EU Rejects Hungarian, Slovak Complaint Over Ukrainian Sanctions on Russian Oil
The EU this week rejected a complaint from Hungary and Slovakia over Ukraine's introduction of sanctions against the transit of crude oil from Russian supplier Lukoil....
Facts
- The EU this week rejected a complaint from Hungary and Slovakia over Ukraine's introduction of sanctions against the transit of crude oil from Russian supplier Lukoil.[1]
- Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia were both granted exemptions from the EU-wide ban on Russian oil imports.[2]
- However, the countries last month asked the EU's European Commission to mediate a consultation process after Ukraine took the step of preventing the oil from passing through it to central Europe through the Druzhba pipeline.[3]
- On Thursday, those efforts were rebuffed, with European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari stating that urgent consultations 'do not appear to be guaranteed.'[4]
- He added that according to the Commission's preliminary assessment, the sanctions do not pose 'an immediate risk to [both countries'] security of supply,' and that it has written to Hungary and Slovakia requesting more information.[4]
- Separately, Valdis Dombrovskis, an EU commissioner, said that following a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, he got confirmation that transit operations to Hungary and Slovakia 'are not affected, as long as Lukoil is not [the] owner of the oil.'[5]
Sources: [1]Kyiv Post, [2]Euromaidan Press, [3]www.euractiv.com, [4]POLITICO and [5]X.com.
Narratives
- Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by The Kyiv Independent. While the European Commission is still investigating, Ukraine's sanctioning of Lukoil does not threaten the wider transit of oil to Hungary and Slovakia. They have other suppliers available to them — something they agreed to seek out when they were initially granted the exemption on Russian oil imports.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Hungary Today. By rejecting the initial request and calling for more information, the European Commission is simply playing for time. The EU is taking these actions against Hungary and Slovakia because they oppose its pro-war policies, seeking to find peace rather than extend the conflict.
