Croatia rejects Hungary and Slovakia's request for Russian oil supplies

Croatia will not allow Russian oil to be transported to Hungary and Slovakia through the pipeline operated by Croatian company Janaf. Zagreb is ready to help both countries, but not with Russian oil supplies. Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar said on Thursday, according to SEEbiz.eu. Supplies of Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline, which runs from Russia through Ukraine, have been interrupted following January attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

On Wednesday, both countries turned to the European Commission (EC), asking it to apply a rule that would allow them to receive Russian oil via Croatia. Budapest and Bratislava also contacted the Croatian economy minister directly on the matter, according to the website.

"We are asking Croatia to allow Russian oil to be transported to Hungary and Slovakia through the Adria pipeline, because our exemption from sanctions allows us to import Russian oil by sea if pipeline supplies are disrupted," Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková wrote in a joint letter, according to the website.

"The security of energy supplies to a given country should never be an ideological issue. We therefore expect Croatia, unlike Ukraine, not to jeopardize the security of oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia for political reasons," Szijjártó and Saková said.

Šušnjar, however, decided not to grant their request. "Janaf's capacity is sufficient, and there are no technical grounds for importing Russian oil," the Croatian politician said. "We are ready to help resolve the acute difficulties, in line with European legislation and OFAC rules. No one should be left without fuel," he added, referring to European and US rules. In a post on X, he added that Hungary and Slovakia were actually concerned about the price, as Russian oil is 30 percent cheaper than oil from other sources.

Hungary depends on the Druzhba pipeline. The pipeline linking Hungary with Russia runs through Ukraine, where a war is being fought. Russia launched its invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022. The European Union is seeking to end imports of oil and natural gas from Russia entirely, in order to make it harder for Moscow to finance the war. Russia's budget gets most of its revenue from selling energy commodities.