EU not in favor of lifting sanctions on Russia's Lukoil to restore oil transit - FT
Kyiv • UNN
The EU countries have rejected a call by Hungary and Slovakia to lift sanctions against Lukoil in order to resume oil transit through Ukraine. The European Commission said that additional time was needed to assess the situation.
The EUC member states did not support the call of Hungary and Slovakia to lift sanctions against Russia's Lukoil in order to restore the transit of Russian oil. This is reported by the Financial Times, citing its sources, reports UNN.
Details
The FT recalls that Hungary and Slovakia were granted exemptions from the pan-European ban on Russian oil imports after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But Kiev's recent decision to stop transit of Lukoil products from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline could lead to a reduction in supplies, according to representatives of the two countries.
So they asked the European Commission, which handles EU trade policy, to start consultations as part of a trade agreement with Ukraine.
But Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU trade commissioner, told the Financial Times that Brussels would need more time to gather evidence and assess the legal situation.
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According to the FT, citing three diplomats, at yesterday's meeting of trade officials from EU member states, 11 countries spoke in favor of his view, and none sided with Budapest and Bratislava. One said the trade agreement with Ukraine includes a security clause that could allow supplies to be cut off.
If Slovakia loses its ability to import oil from russia, “the consequences would be huge,” an EU diplomat said.
Supplement
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said he would be “forced to react” if Ukraine does not change its stance on Lukoil.
Lukoil supplies passing through Ukraine account for about 25-30 percent of the country's oil imports.
