Foreign Minister Szijjártó Blasts EU Inaction on Ukraine’s Oil Blockade

Why has the European Commission not taken any action against Ukraine over the ban on oil deliveries in more than a week? This question was posed by the Minister Péter Szijjártó in a Facebook post. His question followed Hungary and Slovakia’s joint initiative urging the European Commission to address the issue.

The Foreign Minister highlighted that despite the threat to the energy security of two EU member states and the clear violation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, Brussels has remained silent. He suggested two possible reasons for this inaction: either the European Commission is too weak to enforce the fundamental interests of its member states against a candidate country, or the situation was orchestrated by Brussels rather than Kiev, with the European Commission, not the Ukrainian government, seeking to pressure the two EU member-states that oppose arms transfers to Ukraine.

The European Commission, and President Ursula von der Leyen personally, must come clean immediately: did Brussels ask Kiev to ban oil supplies? And if not, why has the European Commission taken no action in more than a week?” Mr.  Szijjártó demanded.

As Hungary Today earlier reported, after Ukraine imposed sanctions on Russia’s Lukoil and closed the Friendship oil pipeline, Hungary has set out to find alternative ways restore oil supplies. The sanctions halted Lukoil’s deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia. Foreign Minister Szijjártó, after meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, emphasized efforts to find a legal solution. The European Commission, analyzing a letter from Hungary and Slovakia, stated that there is no immediate problem due to 90-day reserves, and only the Commission can decide regarding this matter.

Via MTI; Featured Image: Pixabay