The Hungarian government gave the Ukrainians a check in the oil transport game.
Together with Slovakia, Hungary initiated proceedings against Ukraine at the European Union due to the violation of the association agreement.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico already discussed with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denisz Smihal on Saturday the Ukrainian decision based on which crude oil sent by Russian Lukoil cannot arrive in Hungary via the Ukrainian pipeline. Új Szó Online does not write , but highlights that due to the measure, not only the oil refinery in Száchahalombatta, but also the Bratislava oil refinery, which is also owned by Mol, will not receive the necessary amount of crude oil. The Hungarian facility processes a third of energy carriers other than Russian ones, a tenth of domestically produced ones, and buys half of the remaining part – i.e. a substantial part of the total amount – from Lukoil.
Bratislava's Slovnaft fared worse, according to the newspaper: it receives 40 percent less oil than it needs.
According to a statement from the Slovak government office, this threatens not only the domestic market, but also diesel shipments to Ukraine, which account for nearly a tenth of Ukrainian consumption. In this announcement, you can also read Fico's sentence that traveled the world in a matter of seconds: Slovakia does not want to become a hostage of Ukrainian-Russian relations.
The Prime Minister argued that the addition of the Russian Lukoil to the sanctions list is another example of senseless sanctions that do not affect Russia, but certain EU member states, and this is unacceptable. As he said, in recent days he discussed all of this with the competent members of the Slovak government and the representatives of Mol.
It is important, however, that
The transfer of all Russian crude oil in Ukraine was not prohibited,
According to Ukrainian reports, Russian oil is moving through the Friendship Pipeline in an orderly manner. There is no news about which and how many of the oil companies under contract with Moll deliver, and the Hungarian oil company does not comment.
In principle, there would be B, C and other plans
A temporary solution to the situation can be helped by the fact that each country has strategic fuel and crude oil stocks, that the three other Russian oil companies supplying Hungary can replace the oil that is now in vain from Lukoil, and that the importer Mol can also think about alternative sellers and delivery routes. True, it is not easy, because
the capacity of the Adriatic oil pipeline from Croatia is not very large, the transport fee is even more so.
By the way, the significantly higher use of non-Russian crude oil in the refineries would also require technical development.
Szijjártó: this is not a flea market
According to official reports, there is no need to think about such alternative solutions. stated to ATV : "We cannot rush to another service provider because the Ukrainians think that we should take it from them according to their whims." What if tomorrow they do the same again with another company?
We are a state. This is not a market, not a flea market.
We are a state that has contracts, energy supply and a strategy for it. We must not rush, but take steps carefully and calmly, prioritizing the long-term strategy and long-term energy security".
The minister indicated that there was a system in which Russian companies delivered crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine. Now the Ukrainians have partially made this impossible, but the Ukrainians must resolve this situation. The key phrase was also mentioned in the interview:
Until then, Hungary will block the payment of EUR 6.5 billion in compensation for the transfer of weapons to Ukraine from the European Peace Framework,
until Kiev makes Lukoil's uninterrupted crude oil transport through Ukraine to Hungary possible again.
The bar of the association agreement vibrates
Last Wednesday and Tuesday, the minister mentioned that Mol and Lukoil are working on a legal solution to the situation and on making deliveries continuous again. He spoke of a completely clear, open and honest Hungarian-Slovak cooperation, since
Together with Slovakia, Hungary initiated proceedings against Ukraine at the European Union due to the violation of the association agreement.
According to the association agreement, Ukraine may not completely or partially interrupt energy carrier transit through Ukraine to EU member states. Now the Ukrainians are endangering the energy supply of two EU member states, Hungary and Slovakia, because 33 percent of our crude oil imports, and approximately 40-45 percent of Slovakia's crude oil imports, come from Lukoil, Russia via Ukraine.
Featured image: Péter Szijjártó/Facebook
