Budapest argues it’s facing an energy crunch after Kyiv imposed a partial ban on Moscow’s oil transiting the country.
Hungary on Monday said it had asked the European Union to take action against Ukraine for imposing a partial ban on Russian oil exports, arguing the move was jeopardizing Budapest’s energy security.
Kyiv last month adopted sanctions blocking the transit to Central Europe of pipeline crude sold by Moscow’s largest private oil firm, Lukoil, sparking fears of supply shortages in Budapest. Hungary relies on Moscow for 70 percent of its oil imports — and on Lukoil for half that amount.
“Ukraine’s decision fundamentally threatens the security of supply in Hungary,” the country’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Monday at a meeting of EU envoys in Brussels. “This is an unacceptable step on the part of Ukraine, a country that wants to be a member of the European Union, and with a single decision puts the oil supply …. in fundamental danger.”
Orban, honey, this isn’t how you are supposed to play the game.
Do you hear some kind of whiny annoying dictator noise?
Use Megamind’s cranium to reflect the sun onto solar panels.
Jesus Christ what a head. It’s like an orange on a toothpick!
Hungarians call him the Cockatoo.
Come to think of it, the English translation of that is quite funny, as it is an open secret he has a gay lover that lives together with his family.
Cock-a-too. Giggle.
Hah wait, what? He’s a hyperconservative russophile authoritarian populist… closet case…? First I’ve heard it, but that’s hilarious if true.
Celebrating Christmas close together with family, wife and kids. And this one young ex-sportsman dude that’s somehow in all family pictures now (on his own social media no less).
People were quick to point out that only the wife was wearing shoes indoors, almost as if she only was a guest for the picture.
Edit: Just to be clear, I don’t care he’s apparently spending a lot of time with a dude any more than I’d care if he was spending it with a younger gal. It’s just fucked up in the context of everything.
Spherical, but slightly pointy in places…
Heed! Paper! Now!
Who would have thought that relying on fossil fuel from a country invading the middleman between you is a bad idea? I’m shocked!
I am honestly surprised that Ukraine didnt immediately shut them down when the invasion began.
Crazy how the bureaucratic machine just keeps on chugging even when entire cities are being demolished by missiles and artillery. I’m sure it had something to do with maintaining relations with the countries relying on it too, but still. I assume they were even still being paid by Russia to allow the oil through, as part of whatever deal they had.
Same!
Removed by mod
Well well well, if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions…
The EU should prepare some sort of a resolution and then one country should just veto it.
Let’s see how orban menages a country without fuel.
Why just one? Have every single other EU nation just veto it one after the other. Everything after the first one is just performance, it would be really fun to drive the needle in just a little bit deeper every time.
Yeah I’m sure the ukrainians are going to get right on that.
Oh gosh, I am so sorry, nevermind.
Obviously, the EU hasn’t the spine to eject Hungary, so Putin’s Ally/Representative in the EU will remain disabling the EU’s strategy, in all ways possible…
I wonder how many extra thousands of EU troops will die in the escalations of Russia’s aggression, through the next decade(s), as a result of their current-spinelessness?
( remember the English appeasers of Hitler helped the Nazis, & remember that Stalin was providing supplies to the Nazis right up until the day they invaded Russia. Having spine enough to do what is correct/proper isn’t common-enough )
_ /\ _
Obviously, the EU hasn’t the spine to eject Hungary
There’s no way to remove a member. The EU could remove their voting rights, but Hungary used to be helped by Poland.
I wonder how many extra thousands of EU troops
There’s no EU army. There’s NATO, the EU countries have armies, but there aren’t any EU troops.
You’re mixing up EU and NATO. Them being in the EU doesn’t really matter in one way or the other. But they do deserve to get kicked out of NATO
No :)
Wait… What?
Now EU is something you care about?
Maybe you shouldn’t have gone on a bootlicking tour trying to pose as a representative for European foreign politics ?
“Ukraine’s decision fundamentally threatens the security of supply in Hungary,” the country’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Monday
Oh my God!!! I can’t possibly imagine them being concerned about anything more serious than that right now!!!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
BRUSSELS — Hungary on Monday said it had asked the European Union to take action against Ukraine for imposing a partial ban on Russian oil exports, arguing the move was jeopardizing Budapest’s energy security.
Kyiv last month adopted sanctions blocking the transit to Central Europe of pipeline crude sold by Moscow’s largest private oil firm, Lukoil, sparking fears of supply shortages in Budapest.
The escalating diplomatic spat comes as ties between Ukraine and Hungary hit rock-bottom, with Kyiv last week lashing out at Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán for meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin within a self-styled “peace mission.”
The ban means the country’s central Slovnaft refinery would “receive 40 percent less oil than it needs,” Fico said, arguing it would also reduce Slovak fuel exports to Ukraine that make up a 10th of Kyiv’s consumption.
Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU banned imports of Russian oil arriving at the bloc by sea, but allowed landlocked countries like Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to continue buying supplies via the Russia-to-Europe Druzhba pipeline until they could find an alternative solution.
But Budapest, which has angered Ukraine by holding up EU sanctions against Russia and has stalled Kyiv’s attempts to join the bloc, hasn’t tried to find other options, said Isaac Levy, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air think tank.
The original article contains 565 words, the summary contains 225 words. Saved 60%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
I would be surprised if the EU members have no fuel left to share. Hungarian Fidesz knows this, so this is either a very bad PR campaign for their dictatorship (“the EU is about to get us”) or a deliberate attack on Ukraine and EU foreign policy.
