Oil Blackmail

The Kiev regime decided to punish Hungary and Slovakia for their unique stance on resolving the Ukrainian crisis

Ukraine has banned the company «Lukoil» from transporting oil through the «Druzhba» pipeline, which passes through its territory, to Hungary and Slovakia. The official reason given is that the Russian company is under Western sanctions.

The head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, Gergely Gulyás, expressed a different opinion: according to him, Ukraine is simply blackmailing countries that have a different view from the West on resolving the Ukrainian crisis.

In response, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, boldly stated: «The suspension of transit <…> has nothing to do with blackmail, and the mentioned countries do not contribute to peace and insist only on concessions to Russia».

It should be noted that Kiev’s «strike» is quite sensitive for Budapest and Bratislava. These Danubian countries, which have no access to the sea, traditionally receive a significant portion of their energy resources through the «Druzhba» pipeline. Previously, when the EU adopted another package of anti-Russian sanctions, they obtained an exemption from the pan-European ban on importing Russian oil. They had been receiving it regularly under contracts until recently. The «Druzhba» pipeline provided 35–40% of the operation of Slovakia’s only oil refinery. By the way, its products were exported with special permission from the European Commission, valid until December 5, not only to several European countries but also to Ukraine. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini stated that he would be «forced to react» if Ukraine did not change its position regarding «Lukoil». He added that Bratislava supports Ukrainians not only with oil refining products but also with gas, electricity supplies, and humanitarian shipments.

The share of the Russian company in Hungary’s oil imports is about 25–30%. If the conflict is not resolved soon, by September, the economy and citizens will start experiencing an energy shortage.

To stop Ukrainian lawlessness, Hungary and Slovakia urgently appealed to the European Commission to lift the new sanctions against «Lukoil».

«The European Commission must act as the guardian of the treaties and compliance with the laws of the European Union, which Ukraine, as an associated state, should also follow. Therefore, we consider it necessary for the Commission to act immediately in this case», reminded Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár.

However, Ursula von der Leyen’s subordinates dismissed his demand.

«At a meeting of trade representatives from EU countries <…> no one sided with Budapest and Bratislava», reported the Financial Times on July 25, citing its sources. One of its confidants named the formal reason. Allegedly, the EU trade agreement with Ukraine includes a security clause that may allow stopping supplies. Latvian Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU Commissioner for Trade, told FT that Brussels would need more time to gather evidence and assess the legal situation. In short, «get lost»…

Hungary immediately announced countermeasures.

«We will block the allocation of funds from the so-called ‘European Peace Facility’ (which deals with entirely different matters, mainly military ones, — Ed.) until Ukraine resolves the issue», said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó on behalf of the government. According to Budapest, the amount in question is €6.5 billion, which should be spent on supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

Member of the European Parliament from Slovakia, Ľuboš Blaha (a close associate and trusted confidant of the Prime Minister), believes that Ukraine has declared an economic war on Bratislava.

«How else to understand the stoppage of oil supplies from Russia to Slovakia and Hungary, if not as a brutal attack on our population?» he wrote in his post. Blaha reminded that his country sends humanitarian aid to Ukraine. In return, according to him, «the Banderite regime commits such war crimes».

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who returned to work after an assassination attempt in May, held another telephone conversation regarding oil with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal last Friday (July 26). He proposed a «technical solution involving several countries, including Slovakia» to resolve the situation. So far, he has not received a specific response, except for an abstract statement from a representative of the Kiev regime that «there is oil in the ‘Druzhba’ pipeline». According to them, it is supplied (thanks to other Russian companies) in the same amount as before.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister and former Energy Minister Alexander Novak assured that Hungary and Slovakia would continue to receive oil in strict accordance with contractual obligations. At the same time, he refused to comment on how this would happen. Earlier, a «leak» from the «Lukoil» headquarters suggested that other routes would be used.