The European Commission has rejected complaints by Hungary and Slovakia over Ukraine’s suspension of Russian energy supply passing through pipelines on its territory, advising the two EU member states to look for alternative suppliers.
EU Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari stated yesterday, as quoted by Politico, that the sanctions didn’t pose “an immediate risk to [both countries’] security of supply.” In a letter to Budapest and Bratislava seen by the Financial Times, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said that they could use an existing pipeline bringing shipborne crude from Croatia, adding that “diversification away from Russian fossil fuels should be actively pursued.” This situates Ukraine’s actions as part of an EU Commission strategy to halt Russian oil supplies.
On July 30, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto had claimed that the EU Commission may be behind the July 17 Ukrainian suspension. He suggested that the move could be directly targeted at Budapest and Bratislava (though Czechia, in line with Brussels’ war drive, is also affected by Ukraine’s cutoff). Indeed, Slovakia and Hungary are “red flags” for the Commission, as they are the only EU/NATO members that have refused to back the bloc’s policy of supplying the Kyiv regime with military aid amid the conflict with Russia. Both countries, which border Ukraine and have been affected immediately by the war, have repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Now, Hungary’s Foreign MInister Peter Szijjarto has posted on Facebook: “One and a half weeks ago, we jointly approached the @EU_Commission with Slovakia about Ukraine halting some oil supplies crucial for our countries’ secure energy supply. Yesterday, EU Commission Vice President @VDombrovskis sent a letter claiming that Ukraine does not jeopardize Hungary or Slovakia’s supply and suggested using an alternative pipeline through Croatia. This is a scandal!
“The letter from the Vice President [Dombrovskis] proves that Ukrainians can do whatever they want against EU member states, particularly those that are pro-peace and do not send weapons.” Then he explained the reckless disregard in Dombrovskis’ letter: “Croatia is simply not a reliable transit country. Since the war broke out, they have raised transit fees to five times the market average,” suggesting profiteering, and cited problems in securing longer term arrangements. “The suspension of oil supplies from the east would make Hungary and Slovakia completely vulnerable to an unreliable transit country.”
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of making a “political decision” and claimed the situation is “critical” for those still buying Russian oil.
