Hungary and Slovakia want to sue Ukraine over the suspension of oil transit

Budapest and Bratislava have initiated consultations with the European Commission, which could lead to legal proceedings against Kyiv for halting the transit of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Additionally, Hungarian authorities hinted at the possibility of stopping electricity exports to Ukraine due to the transit halt.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced this in Brussels, as reported by Hungarian media.

“I spoke with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister. According to him, they did not ban oil transit, but this is not true. The European Commission has three days to fulfill our request, after which we will take this matter to court,” said the Foreign Minister.

He mentioned that Hungary and Slovakia are exploring legal solutions to address the halt in oil transit through Ukraine if the issue cannot be resolved quickly.

“Budapest considers Kyiv’s decision to stop oil transit hostile, especially given Ukraine’s import of electricity from Hungary,” Szijjártó noted.

He added that if Kyiv is not persuaded to resume oil transit, Europe would have the right not to comply with certain provisions of the EU Association Agreement.

“This step by Ukraine violates a clause of the EU Association Agreement, which states that Ukraine cannot disrupt energy supplies to EU countries through its territory,” he said.

Hungary faces a fuel crisis due to Ukraine blocking the transit of Russian oil. Earlier, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized Ukrainian sanctions against “Lukoil,” stating that they would ultimately affect fuel supplies to Ukraine. The oil blocked by Ukraine to Slovakia and Hungary was used at the Slovnaft refinery, which supplies a tenth of its products to Ukraine.