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Szijjártó claimed that Kyiv’s transfer “clearly violates” the EU’s 2014 affiliation settlement with Ukraine. Hungary and Slovakia — additionally affected by the ban — have now begun talks with the European Fee, he added, a precursor to authorized motion.
Ukraine argues it’s merely making an attempt to throttle a key income for Russia’s conflict chest greater than two years after its invasion, with estimates displaying Moscow made $180 billion from its oil exports final yr. The nation’s power ministry declined to remark.
The escalating diplomatic spat comes as ties between Ukraine and Hungary hit rock-bottom, with Kyiv final week lashing out at Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán for assembly Russian President Vladimir Putin inside a self-styled “peace mission.”
Ukraine’s transfer has additionally prompted a backlash in Slovakia, which depends closely on Moscow for oil as nicely. Though Budapest’s prime refiner has already sourced different provides, the sanctions drew a fierce response from Slovak PM Robert Fico.
“Slovakia would not intend to be a hostage to Ukrainian-Russian relations,” he mentioned on Saturday, following a name with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. The ban means the nation’s central Slovnaft refinery would “obtain 40 p.c much less oil than it wants,” Fico mentioned, arguing it will additionally cut back Slovak gas exports to Ukraine that make up a tenth of Kyiv’s consumption.
Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU banned imports of Russian oil arriving on the bloc by sea, however allowed landlocked international locations like Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to proceed shopping for provides by way of the Russia-to-Europe Druzhba pipeline till they might discover another answer.
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