Hungary accuses Ukraine of blackmail over suspension of Lukoil oil supplies

By halting the transit of oil from Russian company Lukoil through the Druzhba pipeline, Ukraine is blackmailing Hungary and Slovakia, which are advocating a ceasefire with Russia in its war against Ukraine. This threatens fuel supplies in the two countries. Gergely Gulyás, head of the office of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, said this today, according to the MTI news agency. Russia launched its war against Ukraine more than two years ago; Hungary and its Prime Minister Orbán have faced criticism in the EU for maintaining close ties with Moscow despite this, particularly economic ties.

Hungary and Slovakia have stopped receiving oil from Russian company Lukoil via Ukraine because Kyiv added the company to its sanctions list in June. Gulyás said Ukraine’s „blackmail“ of Hungary and Slovakia over their „peaceful“ stance was „unfair“ and violated agreements with the European Union, the Hungarian news agency MTI reported.

„Ukraine is blackmailing these two countries, which support peace and a ceasefire,“ Gulyás said at a press conference today.

„If the situation is not resolved, there will be a fuel shortage,“ he warned. He added that there was no reason to panic for now, given the high level of reserves, but said the situation needed to be resolved by September.

„One solution is for Ukraine to accept that it cannot do this to two EU member states,“ Gulyás said.

„Another solution is for the European Commission to help us. The third is to find a loophole in the law that would allow oil to be transported by someone not subject to sanctions,“ he added.

MOL’s refineries in Slovakia and Hungary are entirely dependent on oil supplies from Lukoil. The Druzhba pipeline begins in Russia on the eastern bank of the Volga River and splits into two branches in Belarus – the northern branch runs to Poland and Germany, while the southern branch runs through Ukraine to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Other Russian companies whose oil Ukraine allows to transit also export oil along this route. Oil supplies to the Czech Republic are continuing normally, according to a statement issued on Monday by pipeline operator Mero.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said this week that oil can reach Hungary only from Russia and only via Ukraine. He said there was no alternative because the necessary infrastructure was lacking.

Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Hungary has continued to refuse to send weapons to Kyiv and has maintained close ties with Moscow, primarily economic ones. Budapest took over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July, and Orbán soon travelled to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing on a trip he himself called a „peace mission“. He was criticised for it in the EU. EU officials said he had no EU mandate for the trip, making it a series of bilateral meetings.