Hungary has warned of an impending energy crisis and even starvation in the country after the European Union refused to stop recent Ukrainian moves to shut off the country’s fuel supplies.
Budapest is furious after Kyiv blocked Russian energy giant Lukoil’s products from crossing its territory. Slovakia is another Russian-friendly EU country that has warned it could soon face mass energy shortages too.
Hungary and Slovakia are unique among EU member-states as they refused to voluntarily cut off Russian gas imports after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. Since the war began, Hungary has enjoyed special EU exemptions to buy cheap Russian gas.
However, the flow of gas and oil to Hungary could soon be in peril, according to Budapest.
In July, Kyiv abruptly decided to halt Russian Lukoil’s oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia. This comes after Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak announced that the Druzhba oil pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary, Slovakia, and Czechia, would be shut down next year.
This decision sparked panic in Bratislava and Budapest. Hungary demanded the EU intervene – but Brussels sided with Ukraine. Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó slammed this as “outrageous”.
The EU has become increasingly frustrated with Hungary’s decisions to forge closer ties with the Kremlin.
This week, Brussels slammed a new Hungarian visa scheme for Russian citizens, claiming it opened a backdoor for spies. Budapest dismissed this as “political hysteria”
Snubbed by the EU, Mr Szijjártó quickly flew to Russia this week for a three-hour meeting with St Petersburg’s oil CEOs who have been sanctioned by the US and the UK for their role in the Russian war in Ukraine.
The foreign minister explained why the meeting was necessary to reporters: “If Hungary does not receive more oil from Russia, we will simply not survive; we will not be able to feed the country.”
Mr Szijjártó slammed the Ukrainian penalties and the EU’s refusal to act, insisting that Hungary does not have “an adequate alternative infrastructure” to Russian oil and gas.
The EU has ridiculed Hungary’s dire predictions, insisting that there is no energy shortage in Hungary.
This week, the European Commission said that data shows there has been no change in the total amount of crude oil supplied to Hungary this summer.
Instead, Brussels claims that Hungary’s panic is primarily concerned with higher fuel prices, amid ongoing economic woes in the country.
Croatia has offered Hungary its own pipeline as an alternative, but this would entail a pricier fuel for Budapest.
One EU diplomat told Politico that Brussels’ patience with Viktor Orban had run out.
The diplomat said that Hungary “has had enough time to adapt” and added: “It’s a question of will. It’s Hungary First.”