Hungary: We cannot survive without Russian oil
Eviralnews,, quoted by Rashatudi, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto warned that the country will not survive without Russian oil and emphasized that Ukraine's decision to stop the transit of crude oil through pipelines located on its territory is a challenge. It is considered serious for Budapest.
In June, Kyiv suspended the transit of crude oil supplied by Russian energy giant Lukoil through the Druzhba pipeline, citing sanctions.
The move directly hit the economies of landlocked Hungary and Slovakia, depriving them of oil previously exported by Lukoil through Ukrainian soil.
In an interview with the Russian business newspaper RBK on Monday, Szijjarto said that Hungary would be completely deprived of oil without imports from Russia.
This diplomat said: We will not be able to feed the country in a broad sense. Simply put, we can't meet the demand for fuel… because we don't have enough alternative infrastructure.
In 2018, Kyiv imposed sanctions on Lukoil, barring the company from divesting its business in the country, as well as banning it from trading and participating in the privatization or leasing of state-owned properties.
Lukoil continued to ship crude oil through the Druzhba pipeline as EU sanctions did not target these flows.
In December 2022, the European Union banned the shipping of Russian crude oil by sea as part of wide-ranging sanctions against Moscow following the Ukraine war.
Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have been granted exemptions by EU officials so they can find alternative sources.
Slovakia and Hungary are the only EU member states that have opposed the bloc's policies on sending military aid to Kiev amid its conflict with Moscow. Both countries have repeatedly called for resolving the crisis through diplomacy.
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