Hungary Blasts European Commission Over Disrupted Supply of Russian Oil

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto holds a press conference on the European Parliament vote to start an EU punitive procedure against Hungary for persistently flouting democratic rules, in Budapest, Hungary on Sept. 12, 2018. Reuters/Bernadett Szabo

Hungary has accused the European Commission of failing to reverse—or of tacitly condoning—Ukraine’s decision to halt the transit of Russian oil to both Hungary and Slovakia through its territory.

Last month, Kyiv unilaterally closed an overland pipeline that supplies Hungary and Slovakia with Russian oil, sparking fear of supply shortages in both countries.

In a July 30 social media post, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused the European Commission of failing to safeguard the “fundamental interests” of EU member states.

“Despite the threat to the energy security of two EU member states ... Brussels remains silent,” he said.

Szijjarto went on to suggest that it was “Brussels, not Kyiv ... that wanted to blackmail two pro-peace countries that reject arms transfers [to Ukraine].”

Unlike other EU leaders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Slovakian counterpart, Robert Fico, oppose unqualified support for Ukraine, which isn’t a member of the 27-nation bloc.

They have also drawn criticism from fellow EU leaders by calling for a negotiated solution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, now in its third year.

Earlier in July, the European Parliament rebuked Orban for visiting Moscow and Beijing—without Brussels’s consent—as part of a self-styled “peace mission.”

On July 31, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman noted that Kyiv’s closure of the pipeline coincided “with a number of peaceful diplomatic initiatives by Budapest aimed at solving the conflict in Ukraine.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban shake hands on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Oct. 17, 2023. Grigory Sysoyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

‘Hostage’ to Conflict

In June, Kyiv imposed unilateral sanctions on Russian energy giant Lukoil and cut the flow of Russian oil through a pipeline that traverses Ukrainian territory.

The Soviet-era pipeline supplies refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, both of which reported in mid-July that they had stopped receiving Russian oil.

On July 20, Fico reportedly told his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, that Slovakia would “not be a hostage to Ukrainian–Russian relations.”

“The inclusion of Lukoil on the sanctions list is just another example of senseless sanctions that do not hurt the Russian Federation but mainly some [EU] member states, which is unacceptable,” Fico’s office said in a subsequent statement.

On July 22, Hungary and Slovakia asked the European Commission to mediate consultations with Kyiv to resolve the impasse, giving the Brussels-based council three days to respond.

The next day, Hungary threatened to block EU funding for member states that supplied weapons to Kyiv unless the latter reopened the pipeline.

“As long as this issue is not resolved by Ukraine, everyone should forget about the payment of the 6.5 billion euros (about $7 billion) of the … compensation for arms transfers [to Ukraine],” Szijjarto said in broadcast remarks.

On July 26, Mykhailo Podolyak, a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rejected claims that Kyiv was “blackmailing” Hungary and Slovakia for their policies vis-à-vis Russia and Ukraine.

“The situation with the suspension of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline ... has nothing to do with blackmail,” he said in remarks to Reuters.

“And certainly Hungary and Slovakia do not stand up as actual peacekeepers ... but insist solely on concessions to Russia.”

Podolyak accused the two countries of bucking the EU’s pro-Kyiv policies, calling on both to urge the Kremlin to stop attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks at a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, Hungary, on Jan. 16, 2024. Denes Erdos/AP Photo

Fico Plays Hardball

On July 29, Fico warned that Slovakia would halt the supply of diesel fuel to Ukraine if the latter failed to reactivate the pipeline.

“If the transit of Russian crude through Ukraine is not renewed in a short time, [Slovakian oil refining firm] Slovnaft will not continue its supplies of diesel to Ukraine,” Fico said on social media.

In response, Roman Andarak, Ukraine’s deputy energy minister, said Kyiv was “ready to resolve possible problematic issues” with Slovakia.

Andarak told Reuters that Kyiv “guarantees uninterrupted oil transit” for all companies that are not subject to Western or Ukrainian sanctions.

Speaking on July 30, Szijjarto accused the European Commission of failing to defuse the crisis, saying that it “has done nothing.” The European Commission issued a statement saying it was still gathering relevant information.

“The Commission has addressed detailed questions to Slovakia and Hungary to establish a complete analysis and reached out to Ukrainian authorities,” the statement reads.

On July 31, Ukraine’s prime minister claimed that Kyiv’s ban on the transit of Russian oil doesn’t threaten Slovakia’s energy security.

“Slovakia is our reliable partner from whom we do not expect blackmail or threats,” Shmyhal said in a social media post.

“The sanctions ... do not pose a threat to the energy security of Slovakia and Europe as a whole, which is why their lifting is not a subject of discussion.”

He said Kyiv had the EU’s “full understanding” regarding the issue.

Reuters contributed to this report.