This month, 1,000 people chose to support the Kyiv Independent. Can we count on you, too?
Become a member
Skip to content
Edit post

EU sees no threat to Hungary, Slovakia due to Ukraine's Lukoil sanctions so far

by Kateryna Hodunova and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 1, 2024 4:19 PM 2 min read
The sanctions imposed by Ukraine against Lukoil do not affect the current transit of oil through the Druzhba pipeline.
An employee looks out over the illuminated petroleum cracking complex at the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery, operated by OAO Lukoil, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The European Commission said on Aug. 1 that it is still investigating the situation with oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia after Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian Lukoil oil, but it has not seen any impact as of now.

In June, Kyiv imposed sanctions blocking the transit of pipeline oil from Lukoil through its territory to cut off the Kremlin's source of income used to support its military. Kyiv's ban does not apply to other Russian oil exporters who still use the pipeline.

Hungary and Slovakia turned to the EU in July as Ukrainian sanctions effectively halted the supplies from the Russian Lukoil company to the two countries via the Druzhba pipeline.

Balazs Ujvari, the European Commission's spokesperson, said the body had contacted the governments of all three countries to clarify the circumstances.

The sanctions imposed by Ukraine against Lukoil do not affect the current transit of oil through the Druzhba pipeline, as Lukoil is not the official owner of this oil, Uzhvari said.

The European Commission services have preliminarily concluded that urgent consultations are not warranted at this stage, as there is no indication of an urgent risk to the security of supply, the spokesperson said.

Ujvari also added that the European Commission is still awaiting more detailed information from Budapest and Bratislava to confirm its conclusions.

Hungarian and Slovak officials complained that Kyiv was violating its association agreement with the EU and asked the European Commission to intervene.

EU ambassadors are not sympathetic to Budapest's and Bratislava's complaints, Politico reported on July 29, as the two countries did not reduce their dependency on Russian oil despite the ongoing war.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal denied on Aug. 1 that the ban on the transit of Russian Lukoil's oil through Ukrainian territory violates the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, echoing the European Commission's statement.

Commenting on Hungary's and Slovakia's reaction to the ban on Lukoil's oil transit, Shmyhal called it "extremely politicized and manipulative."

Shmyhal said that Kyiv is open to cooperating with EU member states, particularly Hungary and Slovakia.

The prime minister also added that Ukraine is not the real threat to these countries' energy security but Russia, which "is trying to avoid fair sanctions through energy blackmail."

Opinion: Europe must clamp down on Russian oil flows through Turkey
To appreciate the booming Russian fossil fuels trade, one need only go to a rooftop cafe along the Bosporus. Back in March, while sipping tea on an Istanbul terrace, I watched as, over the course of two hours, at least four tankers – later identified through open-source marine traffic websites – ca…
Let’s see how far we can go?
We’ve been amazed by your support. We’ve reached our initial goal of finding 1,000 new paying members. We still have till the end of our birthday campaign — with more support, we can do even more good journalism. Over 13,000 people are standing behind us. Can we count on you, too?
Show us support this birthday month
Become a member
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

10:02 AM

German opposition leader Merz arrives in Kyiv.

"The purpose of my visit is to learn about the current state of defense in the country," Friedrich Merz said upon arrival. "I am looking forward to a meeting with President (Volodymyr Zelensky) again."
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.