Trump could block Russian oil imports to EU with one call to Fico and Orbán, reports say
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
White House chief Donald Trump could stop Russian energy imports to the EU by calling the prime ministers of Slovakia and Hungary, Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán, citing an anonymous EU diplomat who spoke to Politico.
“If Trump wants EU countries to stop buying Russian oil, all he’s gotta do is pick up the phone and dial Slovakia’s Robert Fico and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán,” the article quotes the EU diplomat as saying.
The EU representative emphasized that Fico and Orbán are on friendly terms with the US president.
“These are his friends. He could just call them,” he said.
Politico also notes that Trump's demands for a radical change in the policy of Türkiye, which imports 57% of Russian oil, are simply unrealistic.
The EU will not abandon Russian oil and gas until 2027
The media also reports, citing two anonymous EU diplomats, that the bloc is unlikely to be able to abandon Russian energy sources before 2027, as Washington insists.
Also, according to the sources, the EU will not legalize a ban on oil imports from Russia.
However, Politico recalls that Trump intervened in the situation last weekend, ordering NATO allies to stop importing oil from Russia.
This statement came after his representative Chris Wright called on the EU to speed up the transition away from Russian energy sources.
Trump's pressure on the EU may be linked to his intention to reorient the market
The article suggests that there may be a hidden motive behind Trump's actions, which are focused on ending oil imports from Russia to the EU as quickly as possible.
“It also looks like a ploy to get EU countries buying more US oil and gas at a time when a new wave of LNG is set to flood global markets from next year and the US industry is laying off thousands of workers due to tumbling crude prices,” Politico notes.
The EU has postponed the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which is linked to Donald Trump's pressure on Slovakia and Hungary to abandon Russian energy sources.
Against the backdrop of the EU's announcement of an accelerated move away from Russian energy resources, there are reports of European countries purchasing gas from the US.
For example, Italy has agreed with the US to deepen energy ties, including an increase in liquefied natural gas supplies.
