Orbán called for additional guarantees
At the start of the summit, the EU leaders reiterated their dissent. In particular, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban positioned himself against a compromise proposal presented in advance that would have allowed the delivery of Russian oil via pipelines. Although Orban welcomed the pipeline exception, he called for additional guarantees and received the support of Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), who expressed understanding for the “concerns” of the neighboring country and referred to Austria’s similarly high dependence on Russian gas.
Nevertheless, before the summit began, Nehammer expressed his confidence that an agreement could be reached. The experiences with EU Council meetings of the past few months have “taught him that there is a high willingness to find a solution”. “I assume that a solution will be found,” said the Chancellor.
Shortly before the agreement was announced, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said it was more realistic to wait a few weeks for the agreement to be reached. The details were initially unclear. According to diplomats, there should be several exceptions to the oil embargo. According to the draft circulated in the run-up to the summit, imports of Russian oil through ports are to be stopped. The oil imports via a pipeline to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are to be ended later.
Selensky called for unity
At the beginning of the summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed EU leaders. In his almost ten-minute message, he urged the Union to unite and quickly adopt the sixth sanctions package. “It’s time for you not to act individually, but together,” said Zelenskyy. “Why are you dependent on Russia and Russian pressure, and why isn’t it the other way around,” the Ukrainian president said, referring to the dependence of European states on Russian gas and oil supplies.
Orban said Hungary needs guarantees in case the pipeline gets blocked. He was alluding to a possible halt to Russian oil supplies, which would quickly leave landlocked Hungary dry. He accused the EU Commission of “irresponsible behavior”: “First we need solutions, then sanctions.” Nehammer made a similar statement. His Czech colleague Petr Fiala also called for more consideration for the concerns of individual states.
Before the summit, Germany and Poland reaffirmed their intention to impose an import ban on Russian oil by the end of the year. This also applies if the EU allows exceptions to the planned oil embargo with a view to Hungary and other countries, according to diplomatic circles in Brussels. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was confident that the oil embargo would come about: “Everything I hear sounds as if there could be a consensus,” he said.
The proposed new package of sanctions against Moscow also includes sanctions against other figures close to the Kremlin, including the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and former gymnast Alina Kabaeva, who is said to have close ties to President Vladimir Putin.