EU finds no threat to Hungary and Slovakia following Ukraine's decision on Lukoil
Photo: European Commission finds no threat to energy security for Hungary and Slovakia (Getty Images)
The European Commission has preliminarily found no security risks to oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia following Ukraine's sanctions against Lukoil, according to a statement from European Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari during a briefing.
He noted that the European Commission had discussed the issue of stopping Lukoil’s oil transit through Ukraine with Ukrainian, Hungarian, and Slovak officials.
"According to the information that we have at our disposal and in line with the internal Commission analysis, it appears that the sanctions imposed by Ukraine on Lukoil do not affect the ongoing oil transit operations via Druzhba carried out by trading companies as long as Lukoil is not the formal owner of the oil," emphasized the EU representative.
He added that the European Commission still wants to obtain more detailed information from Hungary and Slovakia to confirm its preliminary conclusions.
"I can confirm that the Commission services have preliminarily concluded as well that urgent consultations do not appear to be guaranteed at this point in time as there is no current indication of an immediate risk to the security of supply," Ujvari clarified.
What preceded
Earlier, it was reported that Hungary and Slovakia had stopped receiving oil from Lukoil. The reason was Ukrainian sanctions against the Russian company, which led to the cessation of transit through Ukraine.
Against this backdrop, Hungary and Slovakia began complaining that Kyiv’s decision threatened energy security.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that his country seeks consultations with the European Commission involving Ukraine to resolve the issue. He also threatened the possibility of arbitration.
Meanwhile, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico mentioned that Slovakia might suspend diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine if the issue with Lukoil’s oil is not resolved.
In response, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal emphasized that Ukraine does not intend to lift the sanctions against Lukoil, as they do not pose a threat to the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia.
