Budapest argues it’s facing an energy crunch after Kyiv imposed a partial ban on Moscow’s oil transiting the country.

Hungary on Monday said it had asked the European Union to take action against Ukraine for imposing a partial ban on Russian oil exports, arguing the move was jeopardizing Budapest’s energy security.

Kyiv last month adopted sanctions blocking the transit to Central Europe of pipeline crude sold by Moscow’s largest private oil firm, Lukoil, sparking fears of supply shortages in Budapest. Hungary relies on Moscow for 70 percent of its oil imports — and on Lukoil for half that amount.

“Ukraine’s decision fundamentally threatens the security of supply in Hungary,” the country’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Monday at a meeting of EU envoys in Brussels. “This is an unacceptable step on the part of Ukraine, a country that wants to be a member of the European Union, and with a single decision puts the oil supply …. in fundamental danger.”

  • 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 months ago

    I would be surprised if the EU members have no fuel left to share. Hungarian Fidesz knows this, so this is either a very bad PR campaign for their dictatorship (“the EU is about to get us”) or a deliberate attack on Ukraine and EU foreign policy.