The Ukraine has banned the transportation of Russian oil from Lukoil, which has been politicized. In July, Hungary and Slovakia received the same amount of oil as before the ban, according to the head of Naftogaz of Ukraine on August 6.
"The situation is being politicized from the outside. We see public calls from the leaders of Hungary and Slovakia as well as threats to cut off fuel and electricity supplies" - Naftogaz leader Oleksiy Chernyshov shared with Ukrainian news agency NV.
Mr. Chernyshov noted that more than 1 million tons of oil were transported through pipeline of Ukraine in July, equivalent to a month earlier.
Ukraine emphasizes that the amount of Russian oil transported through this country is not affected by sanctions because companies have changed the ownership of oil at the Russian-Ukrainian border.
"They have received the same amount of oil, but the ownership structure may be different" - Mr. Chernyshov said.
In late June, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Lukoil, a large Russian private oil company operating in Ukraine and preventing Lukoil's oil from flowing through Ukraine's pipeline to refineries in Slovakia and Hungary.
Slovakia declared in July that it would stop providing diesel oil to Ukraine if Kiev did not restore the oil flow from Lukoil.
According to the operator of the Transpetrol pipeline of Slovakia, the request for oil transportation in August through the company's system to provide for Slovak and Czech refineries is 805,000 tons.
When the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022, the EU banned the import of Russian oil but exempted Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic to import Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline to give them time to find alternative routes and sources.
The southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline runs through Ukraine to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary and has been the main source of oil for these countries' refineries for many years.
Ukraine's sanctions on Lukoil took effect in late June, but Hungary and Slovakia began reporting supply issues in mid-July.
After Ukraine blocked Russian oil, Hungary and Slovakia asked the EU to intervene. The EU proposed that the two Central European countries import oil through the Adria pipeline from Croatia. However, both Hungary and Slovakia refused.
Before Naftogaz leader's statement, Reuters reported earlier this week that in a recent exchange in the city of Esztergom in northern Hungary, MOL's CEO Zsolt Hernadi asked: "Why should we give up Russian oil?". Mr. Hernadi noted that "MOL's management is the one deciding where to buy oil, not politicians".
"If we decide to stop Russian oil from pipeline Druzhba, Hungary will only have the Adria pipeline. Which option is better? One or two? Which option ensures a stable supply?" - MOL's CEO asked.
MOL's leader also dismissed the possibility of Hungary running out of fuel in September if Ukraine blocks Russian oil without a solution. He emphasized that only when MOL speaks out will the issue of oil shortage be a concern.
