Hungary and Slovakia are seeking to secure Russian oil supplies through the Adriatic pipeline through Croatia. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said the Croatian government should grant their request in accordance with EU rules. The two countries are looking for an alternative route after the transit of oil from Russia via Ukraine was interrupted.
Szijjártó said that Ukraine was blocking the transport of Russian oil for political reasons. Therefore, he said, there is a possibility to transport the oil by sea to the Croatian port of Omisalj on the island of Krk and then transport it by pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia.
The Hungarian minister stressed that such an approach would not contradict European sanctions against Russia, as Hungary and Slovakia have an exemption for the purchase of Russian oil. They have therefore jointly asked the Croatian government to ensure the transport of crude via the Adriatic pipeline and to comply with European regulations.
According to Szijjártó, the two countries are not asking Croatia for any benefits, but only to fulfil its obligations under European legislation. He added that the Adriatic pipeline was built precisely as a complementary route to the main transport route from the east.
The Croatian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Ante Šušnjar responded to the request from Budapest and Bratislava by saying that energy supplies to Eastern Europe must not be endangered and Croatia must help its neighbours. However, he also warned that Zagreb would comply with the decisions of the European Commission and the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, which oversees compliance with sanctions.
European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kajsa Itkonen said that the request from Hungary and Slovakia would be discussed at the next meeting of the Petroleum Coordination Group. She said the request was for a special permit for the sea transport of Russian oil, which would be limited in time and subject to strict controls.
Hungarian oil company MOL, which processes Russian crude at its refineries, said it expects to start shipping crude by sea to Croatia and then via the Adriatic pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia in March at the earliest. At the same time, as a precautionary measure, the company's management has asked the Hungarian Ministry of Energy to consider using the state's strategic oil reserves. According to MOL, these reserves will last approximately three months.
According to TA-3 television, Slovakia has also asked Croatia to allow the transport of Russian crude oil via the Adria pipeline after the suspension of oil pumping via the Druzhba pipeline since the beginning of February. The joint request was signed by Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Denisa Sakova and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. Both Bratislava and Budapest currently see the Adriatic pipeline as a key alternative supply route.
At the same time, the Slovak Ministry of Economy expects oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to be resumed soon. The ministry has previously said that Slovakia has strategic reserves of oil and oil products for about 90 days.
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