Slovak PM raises concerns with Ukrainian counterpart over suspension of Russian oil transit

Iryna Kutielieva, Roman Petrenko — Sunday, 21 July 2024, 09:17

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal on 20 July.

Source: Slovak news agency TASR, citing the Slovak government's press service, as reported by European Pravda

Details: During his conversation with Shmyhal, Fico criticised the inclusion of the Russian energy giant Lukoil in the sanctions list, as its oil was also used by Slovak refinery Slovnaft.

According to Fico, these sanctions are "meaningless" as, from his point of view, they do not harm Russia but mainly some EU member states.

"Slovakia doesn't intend to be a hostage to Ukrainian-Russian relations, and the decision of the Ukrainian president means that the Slovak refinery Slovnaft, a member of the Hungarian MOL group, will receive 40 percent less oil than it needs for processing. It will have an impact not only on the Slovak market, but it may also lead to the halt of deliveries of Slovnaft-produced oil to Ukraine, while these make up almost one tenth of the entire Ukrainian consumption," the Slovak prime minister said.

The Slovak government office stated that Fico has been discussing the issue with relevant cabinet members and MOL representatives for several days.

Background:

Earlier this week, the Slovak Ministry of Economy confirmed that Russian oil transit had been halted.
The ministry stated that while Lukoil supplied part of the oil to Slovnaft, the refinery obtained Russian oil from other suppliers and has placed orders with alternative sources.
On 18 July, Slovakia and Hungary stated that Ukraine had suspended the transit of Lukoil oil.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó called Ukraine's suspension of Lukoil's oil transit to Hungary "incomprehensible and unacceptable" and wants to raise the issue at a meeting of the Council of the European Union.
Lukoil has been under sanctions in Ukraine since 2018, though they were limited, affecting only capital withdrawal, trade restrictions, and bans on involvement in state property privatisation or leasing.
In June 2024, Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) significantly expanded them, adding, among other things, a transit ban.

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