Last month, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Lukoil - Russia's largest private oil company, prohibiting Lukoil from transporting Russian oil through the Druzhba or "Friendship" oil pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia. Hungary receives most of its crude oil from Russia, of which about half comes from Lukoil.
Ukraine's move to block the flow of Russian oil caused officials in Slovakia and Hungary to react, emphasizing that losing Russian oil supply would threaten domestic energy security. Hungary and Slovakia threatened to take legal action against Ukraine if crude oil flows from Lukoil were not resumed.
According to AP, on July 30, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto criticized the EU 's executive committee , saying that Brussels had "done nothing" during the week since Budapest and Bratislava proposed to intervene in the Russian oil dispute. .
“Despite the threat to the energy security of the two EU member states, Brussels remains silent,” Mr. Szijjarto wrote, saying that the commission is too “weak” to protect the interests of Slovakia and Hungary or “ It was Brussels, not Kiev, that orchestrated the whole thing."
“The European Commission and President Ursula von der Leyen, personally, must immediately clarify: Did Brussels ask Kiev to ban oil supplies? And if not, why has the European Commission taken no action for more than a week?” - Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto emphasized.
In 2022, the EU passed an embargo on Russian oil but made exceptions for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to give these countries time to find other sources of crude oil.
Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Vikor Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said that blocking the flow of Russian oil supplied by Lukoil to Hungary could lead to fuel shortages. However, he emphasized that there is "no reason to panic" because Hungary still has oil reserves. However, Hungary will seek to resolve the deadlock before September.
In other developments related to Hungary, Reuters reported that the European People's Party (EPP) has raised security concerns related to the decision to relax visa restrictions that Hungary recently implemented.
EPP President Manfred Weber wrote to European Council chief Charles Michel, saying Hungary's new regulations could "create serious vulnerabilities for espionage activities... posing risks serious for national security".
A European Commission spokesman said it would be in contact with Hungary about the new regulations and that Budapest was obliged to check whether the regulations comply with Schengen policy.
The Schengen area includes nearly 30 European countries, most of which are EU members. Citizens in this bloc have the right to travel freely without passports or border checks. Visitors from outside the bloc who obtain a visa from a Schengen country are also allowed to freely travel to other Schengen countries.
In July, Hungary expanded its "national card" immigration program to citizens of many countries, including Russia and Belarus. Holders of this card are allowed to work in Hungary without a security clearance and can bring their family to Hungary. The card is valid for 2 years and can be renewed.
