As Ukraine has still not resumed transit via the Druzhba oil pipeline, Hungary and Slovakia have turned to Croatia to enable Russian oil deliveries via the Adria pipeline, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
The minister recalled in his recent post that Hungary and Slovakia had previously fought to continue purchasing cheap Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, and this exemption from sanctions also includes that if pipeline transit becomes impossible, the two countries can also obtain Russian crude oil by sea.
“However, for political reasons, the Ukrainians are still not restarting oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline, hence today we sent a letter to Croatian Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar, together with Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková, asking Croatia to immediately allow Russian crude oil to be transported to Hungary and Slovakia via the Adria pipeline, in accordance with Brussels regulations,” he said.
The security of energy supplies to any country, including our own, cannot be an ideological issue, therefore we expect the Croatians, unlike Ukraine, not to jeopardize the security of oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia for political reasons,”
he added.
In recent days, there has been a now ‘traditional’ exchange of blows between the Ukrainian and Hungarian foreign ministers. Andrij Sybiha accused Hungary of neglecting diversification and, of course, did not forget to play on people’s emotions. In response, the Hungarian foreign minister asked him matter-of-factly when the Ukrainian president intended to finally allow electricity to be supplied to the pipeline.
After his meeting with Marco Rubio, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated bluntly that
Kyiv was delaying the reopening of the Druzhba pipeline in order to blackmail Hungary into abandoning its opposition to Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
The issue will certainly be raised during talks between Péter Szijjártó and Marco Rubio, as well as during the U.S. Secretary of State’s meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the results of which will be reported at an international press conference.
Relations with Croatia have not been entirely smooth in the past when it comes to energy issues,
therefore many are eagerly awaiting Croatia’s response. Of course, what the Americans say also plays a role, as they are fundamentally reshaping energy issues in the region with their sanctions. However, the matter has not only a transatlantic dimension, but also an EU dimension.
Not only because of the rules to which the two ministers referred, but also because Brussels is pushing for Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the European Union and regularly refrains from commenting on matters that seriously violate the interests of EU member states. The current scandal is playing out right before Washington’s eyes, with Marco Rubio’s visit to Bratislava and Budapest interpreted from the outset as a message to Brussels.
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Via MTI, Világgazdaság; Featured image: Pixabay
The post Russian Oil via the Adria Pipeline: Croatia’s Response Eagerly Awaited appeared first on Hungary Today.
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