Hungary and Slovakia announced on Wednesday that they would suspend diesel exports to Ukraine amid growing tensions over oil deliveries, saying they need to secure their energy supplies to replace imports of Russian oil through the damaged Druzhba pipeline – with Hungary also accusing Ukraine of political blackmail and interference,
Euronews reports.
The row is another showcase of conflicts between the two EU governments, which are still importing large quantities of Russian crude oil via Ukraine, and Kyiv, which has repeatedly called on them to fully decouple themselves from Russian energy.
Oil transfers from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia stopped on 27 January. According to media reports, the pipeline carrying them was damaged by a Russian air strike in Ukrainian territory.
"Diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine have been halted. And diesel fuel deliveries to Ukraine will not resume until the Ukrainians resume crude oil deliveries via the Druzshba pipeline to Hungary," said Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.
Both Hungary and Slovakia say they have sufficient fuel reserves, but want to redirect diesel to their internal markets.
Foreign Minister Szijjártó said that Ukraine had sufficient means and time to repair the pipeline, and that not doing so was a political decision.
“The fact that Ukraine will not restart oil transport towards Hungary is a political decision, a political decision made by the Ukrainian president himself,” he added.
