Hungary, together with Slovakia, has officially appealed to the Croatian government to ensure the transportation of Russian crude oil through the Adriatic pipeline. This decision was dictated by the complete cessation of transit through the Ukrainian branch of the "Druzhba" oil pipeline, which occurred at the end of last month as a result of large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
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Budapest, which is critically dependent on Russian energy carriers, is trying to find an urgent alternative to fill its oil refining capacities amid the ongoing energy crisis.
Political confrontation around the Druzhba oil pipeline
The suspension of oil pumping through Ukrainian territory caused another round of tension between Kyiv and Budapest. The Hungarian side accuses Ukraine of inability to ensure transit, while the Slovak leadership sees elements of political pressure in this situation. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico openly supported Viktor Orban's position, expressing doubts about the reasons for the pipeline's shutdown.
Ukraine uses the "Druzhba" oil pipeline for political influence
Kyiv officials categorically deny these accusations, emphasizing that the reason for the shutdown is exclusively technical damage to the infrastructure caused by shelling from the Russian Federation.
Negotiations in Zagreb and an expected meeting with US representatives
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková, during a visit to Zagreb, emphasized the need to expand the capacity of the Adriatic pipeline. This issue has long been a subject of dispute between Hungary and Croatia, as Budapest seeks to obtain guarantees of stable volumes and favorable tariffs for pumping Russian raw materials.
Hungary seeks Russian crude oil supplies through Croatia
It is expected that the issues of Central European energy security and the future of Russian resource purchases will be key topics during Viktor Orban's meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, scheduled for Monday in Budapest.
Washington has repeatedly called on European partners to reduce their dependence on energy resources from the Russian Federation, but Hungary continues to defend its right to purchase Russian oil.