Bulgaria has offered assistance to Hungary’s energy supply, which is under threat following a Ukrainian ban on Russian Lukoil’s oil shipments via Ukraine. Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday that Sofia has indicated a willingness to help. Although there is no direct oil transport link, such as a pipeline, between the two countries, Bulgaria can deliver additional quantities of petroleum products to Hungary by various means if needed.
‘It is another genuine gesture of friendship from Bulgaria to offer this kind of assistance,’ Szijjártó emphasized. He pointed out that last year, 5.6 billion cubic metres of natural gas arrived in Hungary via Bulgaria, and this year, 3.9 billion cubic metres. ‘Bulgaria is also respecting all its obligations stemming from its status as a transit country,’ he underlined after a discussion with Bulgarian Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov.
As reported by Hungarian Conservative, Ukraine has recently halted Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia through the country. If these shipments do not resume soon, Hungarian and Slovak energy supplies will be at significant risk in the medium and long term.
‘They are not only endangering the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia, but they are also violating the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement,’ Szijjártó stated. Budapest and Bratislava have turned to the European Commission on the matter, and on Wednesday, the
trade policy committee met in Brussels to put the issue on the agenda.
‘It is clear that some EU Member States continue to take a political stance. Despite the fact that Ukraine’s actions violate the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia and breach the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, they attempt to excuse Ukraine and blatantly disregard internal EU solidarity,’ the Hungarian FM said. He added, ‘We will see when the European Commission finally takes a position and convenes consultations between the European Union and Ukraine. As a result, we expect Ukraine to lift the ban on Lukoil oil shipments.’
On Tuesday, Szijjártó announced that Hungary will block the payment of €6.5 billion from the European Peace Facility (EPF) until Kyiv allows Lukoil to resume uninterrupted oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. ‘As long as this issue is not resolved by Ukraine, everyone should forget about the payment of the €6.5 billion European Peace Facility compensation for arms transfers,’ Szijjártó stressed.
‘Ukraine’s decision to halt the transit of Russian Lukoil oil to Hungary is both incomprehensible and unacceptable. Although temporary solutions have been implemented to stabilize Hungary’s oil supply, these measures will not suffice in the medium term. Therefore, a permanent solution must be found quickly,’
Péter Szijjártó stated on 19 July, a few days after the Ukrainian decision.
Lukoil currently accounts for one-third of Hungarian oil imports and around 45 per cent of Slovakian oil imports, making the Ukrainian ban a fundamental threat to the energy security of both countries.
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