Brussels suggested Hungary and Slovakia to switch to Janaf

In a letter to Budapest and Bratislava, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis stated that "diversification from Russian fossil fuels should be actively pursued", the Financial Times reports.

Hungary and Slovakia have asked the European Commission to intervene in their dispute with Ukraine after Kyiv imposed sanctions on the Russian energy company Lukoil. Budapest and Bratislava are facing the threat of fuel shortages, as they are supplied via the Druzhba pipeline, which has been blocked by Ukraine.

The EC announced on Thursday that the two countries have sufficient supplies as the overall flow has not been reduced. The "urgent consultations" that the two countries demanded, according to the EU's trade agreement with Ukraine, were not necessary.

Hungary and Slovakia have been granted an exemption from the ban on Russian oil imports into the EU due to claims that they have no alternative available. Dombrovskis said that the two countries can use the existing Janaf pipeline, which delivers oil from ships in Croatia.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Sziarto accused the commission of "blackmail" earlier this week, saying it was persecuting the two countries because of their opposition to arming Ukraine. Sziarto said that perhaps "Brussels, not Kyiv, invented the whole thing... to blackmail two peaceful countries that refuse arms transfers".

EU Commission for Trade

European Commission

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary

Janaf

Peter Sziarto

Valdis Dombrovskis

Russian oil