In recent days, several positive statements have been made regarding Hungary’s energy security, which was jeopardized in July when Kyiv decided to block Russian Lukoil oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia through its territory.
At his regular weekly press briefing on Thursday Gergely Gulyás, the minister leading the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, stated that Hungarian oil and gas company MOL has a strong likelihood of concluding the necessary agreements to prevent the blockage of oil supplies to Hungary via Ukraine. He explained that while this would result in higher costs and risks, a legal solution exists to ensure the continuity of supply.
Earlier this week Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced that negotiations to secure Hungary’s long-term oil supply are nearing completion. The minister also noted that Hungary’s natural gas supplies remain unaffected by the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with deliveries continuing smoothly via the Turkish Stream pipeline through Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Serbia.
As reported by Hungarian Conservative on several occasions, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the Russian Lukoil in July. As a result, Kyiv has refused to permit Russian oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia through its territory, jeopardising the energy supply of the two EU Member States. Lukoil currently provides one-third of Hungary’s oil imports and approximately 45 per cent of Slovakia’s oil imports.
The two countries have brought the case before the European Commission, arguing that Kyiv’s decision violates the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement. According to the agreement, if no solution is reached, an arbitration tribunal can be established, and proceedings can be initiated within forty days. If the matter remains unresolved, the EU reserves the right to suspend certain treaty obligations, such as duty-free access.
However, Brussels has clearly sided with Ukraine in the dispute, disregarding the interests of the two member states. The reason given for not convening the consultation forum was that, in their assessment, there was no immediate threat to the energy supply of Slovakia and Hungary. In response Gergely Gulyás expressed the Hungarian government’s regret that the European Commission had failed to act in defence of the Member States.
Szijjártó emphasized that despite the ‘lack of concern’ in Brussels, the situation appears to be nearing resolution. ‘The Hungarian government is closely monitoring the conflicts around us and their impact on our energy supply. We continue to find it unacceptable that the European Commission has not taken any action to protect Hungary and Slovakia from the boycott measures imposed by Ukraine,’ he asserted.
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