“The Ukrainian oil embargo is clearly being coordinated with the EU Commission,” said Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó at the weekend. On top of that, Croatia is being used to blackmail the Hungarian and Slovak peace camp.
“It is no secret that the EU is becoming weaker and weaker. But it cannot be so weak as to tolerate a candidate for accession endangering the energy supply of two member states with its decisions.” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó expressed this position on the current dispute over the Lukoil sanctions imposed by Kiev on Saturday at the MCC Fest in Esztergom. More and more politicians in the Orbán government are more or less covertly suggesting that Ukraine must have at least coordinated its steps with the EU leadership in Brussels.
EU buzzword solidarity is sometimes a foreign word in the EU
“In Brussels, they cannot tolerate the fact that Hungary does not give in to pressure,” concluded the Fidesz politician, who openly stated that the Kiev oil embargo against Hungary and Slovakia was coordinated by the EU leadership.
This is also supported by the fact that EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic presented their “alternative proposals” at practically the same time. “The Croatians are now offering themselves to us as transit partners. A partner who is increasing transit fees fivefold in one fell swoop and is only prepared to conclude short-term contracts,” Szijjártó noted sarcastically. “Hungary will not allow Brussels or Zagreb to dictate where it gets its energy from.”
The word ‘solidarity’ is fashionable in EU political discourse, but now the EU headquarters is turning a deaf ear when a candidate for accession causes inconvenience to two member states and a third EU state wants to take advantage of the dilemma.
As for the blackmailing Ukraine, the minister once again recalled Hungary’s “advancements” – securing more than 40% of Ukraine’s electricity needs, taking in more than 1.3 million refugees and caring for Ukrainian children in almost 1,500 Hungarian kindergartens and schools. Hungary is doing all this to help war-torn Ukraine, although Kiev is committing more and more violations of the law against the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.
Szijjártó was incensed by the so-called EU “peace fund”, where Hungary is blocking a billion-euro payout: “It is more tragic than funny that they call this fund that. Because it is from this fund that the Europeans who supply weapons get back part of the price of their “heroic deeds”, of course from taxpayers’ money.” In the meantime, weapons worth “many hundreds of billions” have been supplied, without any notable successes on the front, where the Russians are more likely to advance.
Croatia wants dependent Hungary
The Vice President of the EU Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, stressed in a letter to the governments in Budapest and Bratislava: “Ukraine is not endangering the security of supply of Hungary and Slovakia.” And he referred to the alternative Adriatic oil route through Croatia, which – instead of complaining about the Ukrainians in Brussels – should now please use.
Péter Szijjártó commented on this letter with the words: “This is proof that the Ukrainians can do just about anything. They behave like this towards all EU member states, but even more so when they belong to the peace camp and do not supply weapons. A scandal!”
It is “pure coincidence” that Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has just assured the President of the European Commission in a letter from Zagreb that it would be possible to supply its own Adriatic route with oil for Central Europeans. But at least this letter proves that behind the Ukrainian oil embargo there is a coordinated action staged in Brussels. If Hungary were to voluntarily give up the Druzhba route option under the current pressure, it would be at the mercy of the Croats’ games.
Ukrainians talk big
While official Hungarian policy continues to rule out blackmail in its relations with Ukraine, the obvious conspiracy of the EU leadership with the transit countries Ukraine and Croatia is giving rise to increasing indications of considerations as to where Hungary could most hurt its warring neighbour.
An energy expert from the government-affiliated research institute Századvég spoke on state news television M1, pointing out Ukraine’s hunger for electricity. According to Olivér Hortay, Ukraine lost three quarters of its electricity generation capacity during the war and repeatedly suffers from long-term power outages. To counteract this, imports have been increased, of which Hungary has a 40-42% share. This is done via the 750 kV substation of Mavir Zrt. in Szabolcsbáka in the far north-east of Hungary, not far from the borders with Ukraine, Slovakia and Romania.
Hortay quoted verbatim from Ukraine’s EU Association Agreement, according to which partners are not allowed to restrict their trade and transit services. “From this point on, the Ukrainian oil embargo is illegal, the EU Commission should act. But Brussels is not doing so because there is no immediate risk to the Community’s security of supply.”
The energy expert considers this argument to be bold, as Lukoil single-handedly covers a third of the needs of the Százhalombatta oil refinery and even 45% of the needs of the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava. “If such a failure does not represent a supply risk, I really do not know when such a risk could even arise,” he said, pointing out the absurdity of the situation.
Furthermore, Hortay demonstrated in detail that the capacities of the Adriatic route cannot fully cover the needs of the three countries (besides Hungary and Slovakia, the Czech Republic is also marginally affected).
Certainly not independently of this reporting on state TV, the official news agency MTI promptly published photos of the substation of the Hungarian transmission system operator Mavir in Szabolcsbáka. While the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal disparagingly commented on threats from the government of Robert Fico in Bratislava that Kiev could easily do without diesel supplies from Slovakia, the Ukrainians are not making a big deal about electricity for the time being.
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