The well-known publication Politico published an article about a possible fuel crisis in Hungary, accusing the Ukrainian authorities of imposing sanctions on the transit of Russian oil through the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, experts and representatives of Ukraine, such as energy sector analyst Volodymyr Omelchenko, deny these accusations, stressing the absence of restrictions on the Ukrainian side. Omelchenko notes that the situation surrounding oil transit may be part of the Kremlin's information campaign, the purpose of which is to strengthen anti-Ukrainian sentiments and block aid to Ukraine.
WHO IS BENEFITABLE TO FUEL THE SITUATION REGARDING THE "TERMINATION" OF TRANSIT OF RUSSIAN OIL TO HUNGARY?
The well-known publication Politico recently published an article with the telling title "Hungary faces a fuel crisis."
They blame the Ukrainian authorities for this, which in January allegedly imposed sanctions on the transit of oil through the territory of Ukraine for the Lukoil company, which supplies oil to Hungary and Slovakia.
Apparently, such actions of the Ukrainian side can lead to a large shortage of oil at the Hungarian refineries of the MOL company and to a rapid increase in the prices of petroleum products in the country. At the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Lavrov promised his Hungarian colleague Szijártó to help solve this problem by finding other ways of supply.
Ilona Gizinska, an expert from the Center for Oriental Studies, added fuel to the fire in this Politico article. She said Hungarians could face skyrocketing energy prices and power shortages in just a few weeks if no solution is found. I immediately suspected that something was wrong here.
First, the oil transport operator company Ukrtransnafta does not have direct contracts with individual oil producing companies of the Russian Federation. In 2019, it concluded an agreement on oil transit services with the Russian oil pipeline company Transneft. The agreement is valid for the period 2020–2030. Transneft, in turn, concludes contracts for transport services with Lukoil, Rosneft, Surgutneftegaz, and others. That is, "Ukrtransnafta" does not have any legal relations with Russian oil-producing companies, therefore it cannot stop transit, in particular for "Lukoil". This was officially confirmed by a representative of Ukrtransnafta to Forbes magazine.
Secondly, the representative of "Ukrtransnafta" reported that the company did not implement any restrictions on the transit of oil. The Slovak side confirmed the same.
Thirdly, there will be no catastrophe for Hungarian consumers, even if the transit of Russian oil through the territory of Ukraine to Hungary stops, since this country has the ability to receive oil via alternative routes, in particular from Croatia.
I quote the well-known energy expert Mykhailo Gonchar regarding the possibilities of diversification of oil supplies to Hungary. ("Back in 2015, MOL completed the modernization and capacity increase of the "Adria"-"Druzhba" system in order to expand the possibilities of pumping oil from the Adriatic. At that time, they pathetically declared that the expanded capacity from the Adriatic Sea made it possible not only to load its own refinery in Sazhalombatta, but and supply oil to the refinery in Bratislava and even partially provide transit to the refinery in the Czech Republic. That is, MOL has the technical ability to take oil from the Mediterranean market through the Croatian terminal "Adria".
What is the purpose of all this tension building? In my opinion, the Kremlin, with the help of its Hungarian and Slovak puppets, is deliberately fanning an imaginary conflict in order to increase anti-Ukrainian sentiment among the citizens of Hungary and Slovakia to justify their governments' blockade of military aid to Ukraine and its Euro-Atlantic integration.
After the start of large-scale aggression, Ukraine had every right to impose sanctions on the transit of Russian oil, but it did not do so due to the request of the EU and the commitment of Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to ensure the cessation of Russian oil supplies by 2027 through diversification.
I told the correspondent of Politico all about this, but he decided not to publish my point of view. Apparently, there was another journalistic task. There is no question of objectivity here. I would also like stronger communication from the Government on this important issue for the national security of Ukraine.
