Croatia refutes Orban's claim, says Hungary can give up Russian oil
Photo: Andrej Plenković (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has dismissed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s claims that Budapest allegedly cannot replace Russian oil with supplies through the Adriatic pipeline, according to Index.
The issue centers on the Adriatic pipeline managed by the Croatian company JANAF. Plenković accused the Hungarian government and oil company MOL of spreading false claims that JANAF could not meet Hungary’s supply needs.
"This is an entirely false narrative from the Hungarian authorities and MOL, which completely distorts the facts and the truth. JANAF has all the capabilities and capacity to deliver the full amount of crude oil required by refineries in Hungary, specifically in Százhalombatta and Bratislava, with more than sufficient throughput," the prime minister said.
He added that Croatia’s total crude transport capacity exceeds the maximum operating capacity of those two refineries in Hungary and Slovakia.
Plenković also expressed surprise that this "false narrative" has reportedly received some sympathy from the United States, referring to Washington’s decision to grant Hungary temporary exemptions from sanctions targeting Russian oil companies.
Meanwhile, the Slovak prime minister recalled the case of the Serbian refinery NIS, which, due to US sanctions, can no longer import oil and has received no such exemptions.
Orban's meeting with Trump
Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with US President Donald Trump at the White House. The visit came shortly after Washington imposed sanctions on major Russian oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, and their subsidiaries.
Following the talks, Orban claimed he had secured an exemption allowing Hungary to continue purchasing Russian oil.
Trump, for his part, argued that Hungary faces difficulties finding alternatives to Russian supplies because it lacks direct access to the sea.
