Hungary welcomes deal to guarantee Russian oil supplies amid tensions with Ukraine
Date
9/11/2024 6:04:31 AM
(MENAFN) The Hungarian government on Tuesday expressed its approval of an agreement reached by the energy company MOL Group to secure the supply of Russian oil through Ukraine, following recent restrictions imposed by Kyiv on transit routes. This development comes after Hungary and Slovakia accused Ukraine in July of undermining their energy security by blocking the Russian oil giant Lukoil from utilizing the Ukrainian segment of the Druzhba pipeline, a key conduit for transporting Russian oil to Europe.
MOL Group announced on Monday that it had established a “sustainable solution” to maintain the flow of oil to Hungary and Slovakia by reaching agreements with relevant suppliers and pipeline operators. According to the terms of this agreement, MOL will "take ownership of the affected crude oil volumes at the border between Belarus and Ukraine" starting from September 9. The company also assured that these updated arrangements align with European Union sanctions currently in place against Russia.
Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs welcomed this technical resolution, stating that it provided a necessary solution to the immediate supply concerns. However, Kovacs noted that there is still an unresolved political dimension to the situation, emphasizing Hungary's consistent opposition to using energy security as a "political weapon." This stance reflects Hungary's unique position within the European Union, as it remains the only member state that has continued to maintain close relations with the Kremlin despite the ongoing war in Ukraine that began in 2022.
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