Slovakia and Hungary have announced that they have stopped receiving oil from their key supplier Lukoil after Ukraine's sanctions against it were tightened. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
Both Slovakia and Hungary have stated that they continue to receive oil from other Russian companies, despite the suspension of Lukoil supplies.
It is noted that the Slovak oil carrier Transpetrol does not receive supplies from Lukoil, but supplies from other Russian exporters come to Slovakia through Ukraine.
In particular , the Ministry of Economy of Slovakia acknowledged that oil supplies from Lukoil, the second largest oil producer in Russia, were stopped because of Ukraine, which put the company on the sanctions list.
According to Transpetrol, a Slovak oil carrier, Russian oil supplies to Slovakia have not been interrupted. According to Slovnaft, a Slovak oil refiner, the problem is the supply of a particular supplier, Lukoil
For his part , Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday that gas supplies from Russia to Hungary are flowing freely through the TureckStream pipeline on the Black Sea, but that Lukoil is no longer transporting crude oil through Ukraine.
Due to the new legal situation in Ukraine, Lukoil is no longer supplying to Hungary, and we are now working on a solution that will allow us to resume oil transit, as Russian oil is very important for our energy security
Reuters says that Russia's Lukoil and Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz declined to comment.
Addendum
Reuters explains that Russia continues to supply natural gas to Europe through Ukraine, despite a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
However, the situation with Slovakia and Hungary underscores the unstable nature of the remaining Russian oil supplies to Europe through the Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline, the last major operating route for Russian oil to the continent.
For reference
"Lukoil has been under sanctions in Ukraine since 2018, but they were limited - they only concerned the withdrawal of capital, restrictions on trade operations, and a ban on participation in the privatization or lease of state property.
In June 2024, the NSDC significantly expanded them, adding, in particular, a ban on transit.
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