The two countries block the negotiations on the sixth package of sanctions, which will continue during the weekend
The embargo on Russian oil has run into the reluctance of Hungary and Slovakia. The two member states keep the negotiations for the adoption of the sixth package of sanctions against Moscow blocked, assuring that their economies will not be able to resist the veto on Russian oil imports. Diplomatic sources confirmed this Friday the “difficult” negotiations carried out by the ambassadors of the Twenty-seven, who clashed on “more technical than political” issues of the new round of punishments.
While some states and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urged action as soon as possible, Hungary and Slovakia expressed their rejection of the gradual withdrawal of Russian oil imports. The two countries see the deadline given by Brussels to end imports of Russian crude as insufficient.
The initial idea was to end the dependence on Moscow by the end of this year, but the European Commission included the exception for Hungary and Slovakia, giving them one more year, until the end of 2023. And it is that oil and its derivatives reach these two regions almost exclusively from Russia and through a single pipeline, making it difficult to substitute other suppliers.
A “nuclear bomb”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán even said in a radio interview that Moscow’s crude oil veto is “a red line” and that it would be equivalent to “dropping a nuclear bomb on the economy” of the country. Already on Wednesday, Hungary showed its rejection of the draft embargo “in its current form”. “The proposal has been forwarded to the president (Von der Leyen) so that she can rework it and we are waiting for a new proposal,” Orbán said on Friday.
In practice, Hungary’s ‘no’ blocks the application of sanctions, since they are measures that require the unanimity of the Twenty-seven. Slovakia has also shown its reluctance and has even asked for a period of three years to cut energy ties with Russia.
The decision to include the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church among the individuals sanctioned – for his support of the attack on Ukraine – is also having a difficult time fitting into the negotiations. The sixth battery of sanctions also includes the withdrawal of SWIFT from Sberbank and more punishments for specific individuals. However, the debate will continue over the weekend and, according to European sources, only the point related to the oil veto remains open.
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