Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Putin still has friends in Europe.
Russia may have become an international pariah in the Western world, but Putin still has his friends – including in the European Union.
Hungary, led by Victor Orbán, and Slovakia, led by Robert Fico, are deeply dependent on the import of Russian oil and gas, allegedly stating the necessity a matter of national security.
Additionally, Orbán has continued to threaten to block EU-sanctions against Russia, sparking outrage in Ukraine.
Now, the tensions between Hungary and Slovakia on one side and Ukraine on the other have reached new heights, following a dispute over the transit of Russian oil
Oil deliveries halted
The row began after Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia were disrupted on January 27. Kyiv said a Russian drone strike damaged pipeline infrastructure in western Ukraine, while Budapest and Bratislava have blamed Ukraine for the prolonged stoppage.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would suspend emergency electricity supplies within two days unless oil transit through Ukraine to Slovakia resumes.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had issued a similar warning earlier in the week.
According to Reuters, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday denounced what it called “ultimatums and blackmail” from Hungary and Slovakia, after both governments warned they could halt electricity exports to Ukraine.
Power and pressure
Hungary and Slovakia together account for roughly half of Europe’s emergency electricity exports to Ukraine, which have become critical as Russian attacks have battered its energy infrastructure.
“If oil supplies to Slovakia are not resumed by Monday, I will ask SEPS, the state-owned joint-stock company, to stop the supply of emergency electricity to Ukraine,” Fico wrote on X.
Kyiv described such steps as “provocative, irresponsible and threaten the energy security of the entire region.”
Throughout the war, Ukraine has continued to allow limited Russian energy transit to Europe. It has also proposed alternative oil transport routes, including via its domestic pipeline network or maritime options such as the Odessa-Brody link, Reuters reported.
Energy standoff
The disagreement has become one of the sharpest confrontations between Ukraine and the two EU and NATO members, whose leaders have maintained relatively warmer ties with Moscow than most European governments.
Hungary and Slovakia remain the only EU states heavily reliant on Russian crude delivered via the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory.
In its statement, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said: “Ukraine rejects and condemns the ultimatums and blackmail of the governments of Hungary and the Slovak Republic regarding energy supplies between our countries.”
“Ultimatums should be sent to the Kremlin, and certainly not to Kiev,” it added.
Sources: Reuters
