Slovakia, Hungary won’t back EU sanctions on Russian energy

May 3, 2022

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia –

Slovakia and Hungary saidTuesday’s announcement by the European Union that it will not support sanctions against Russia energy that are being prepared over the conflict in Ukraine was a statement that said they were too dependent on these supplies and that there are no immediate alternatives.

EU commissioners are discussing new sanctions proposals. These could include a phased out embargo against Russian oil. They will be discussed by the 27 members countries on Wednesday. However, it may take several days before they become effective. It is not known if oil will be included in these measures or if Slovakia and Hungary will be exempted.

Slovak Economy Minister Richard Sulik saidSlovnaft cannot immediately switch from Russian oil to another type. Sulik estimates that it would take many years to change the technology. said.

Sulik said to reporters that they would insist on the exemption.

The Soviet-era Druzhba oil pipeline makes it almost entirely dependent on Russian oil. Hungary is also heavily dependent on Russian oil, but other major energy importers such as Germany are important. saidAlthough it could deal with the EU banning Russian oil, officials are still stating that “it is a heavy burden to be bear.”

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said”Sanctions that would make transporting natural gas and oil from Russia to Hungary impossible” will not be supported by the country.

Szijjarto: “The simple fact is that Hungary’s energy supply can not be threatened because no one can assume us to pay the price of war (in Ukraine).” saidSpeaking Tuesday in Kazakhstan. “Hungary and its economy are currently physically unable to function without Russian oil.”

Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, pledged to “break Russia’s War Machine” by steering European countries away from Russia’s natural gas supplies, despite disagreements among EU member states.

The bloc is rushing to secure alternative sources of Russian energy and prioritizing global LNG imports from major producers such as Qatar, Algeria, and the United States.

This includes the liquefied natural gases facilities being constructed in northern Greece. Michel and four leaders from four Balkan countries visited Tuesday.

Michel stated, “We also sanction Russia to apply financial, political and economic pressure on the Kremlin. Our goal is simple: We have to break the Russian warmachine.” said.

At the Greek port at Alexandroupolis, he met with the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mistiakis and leaders from Bulgaria and North Macedonia. The port city will soon be home to an LNG import terminal.

As EU countries seek to move away Russian gas supplies, LNG arriving by ship is increasingly important. Russia has cut off natural gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria over a demand to pay in rubles. It was part of an escalated dispute following the invasion by Ukraine.

This is why the new LNG terminal is so crucial and timely. It’s geopolitical investment, and this is an important moment in geopolitical history,” Michel said. It reflects the things we need to do more, as it will ensure security of supply to Greece and to other countries in this region. This is very important.”

The meeting was attended by the Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petrokov, North Macedonian Premier Dimitar Kuvachevski, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

“This isn’t just an energy project. Petkov said, “This will alter the energy map in Europe.” said. “The Balkans has 65 million inhabitants, but we can do much more.”

The LNG terminal can process 6 billion cubic meters of gas per year. This will boost non-Russian supplies that reached the region in 2020 through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which runs from Azerbaijan and Italy.

The launch of a new interconnector pipe, which connects the gas networks of Bulgaria and Greece, is scheduled for next month.

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Spike reported from Budapest in Hungary and Janicek, Prague. AP reporter Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed