The sanctions imposed by Ukraine on the Russian company "Lukoil" do not threaten the security of Hungary and oil supplies to Slovakia. This was announced today by the European Commission, quoted by BTA.
A spokesman for the EC said that the preliminary analysis of the European Commission shows that "there are no indications of an immediate risk" to oil supplies intended for Hungary and Slovakia. This position refutes the claims of both countries that Ukraine is violating the agreement with the European Union on association, Reuters points out.
Budapest and Bratislava have launched a series of criticisms against Kiev for harming them by limiting the transit of oil from Russia through Ukraine via the "Druzhba" pipeline.
The association agreement between Ukraine and the EC stipulates that the transit of energy products to the European Union should not be hindered. Hungary and Slovakia are demanding that the European Commission intervene in the case of Ukraine and "Lukoil". However, its preliminary analysis indicates that Ukraine's sanctions do not affect the transportation of oil via the "Druzhba" pipeline, which was not owned by the Russian company. The EC points out that the suspended supplies to "Lukoil" were compensated with oil provided by other companies and also transported via "Druzhba".
Since 2022, a ban on the import of Russian oil into the European Union countries has been in effect due to Moscow's military aggression in Ukraine, political observers recall.
However, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are exempt from the ban on the import of Russian oil via pipelines in order to have enough time to secure alternative supplies of black gold.