On 16 March, Hungary and Slovakia signed an agreement to build a new pipeline to transport petrol and diesel between the two countries. The project comes at a time of growing uncertainty over energy supplies in Central Europe.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on this occasion strongly criticized Ukraine's decision to stop the supply of Russian oil. He described it as unilateral and harmful and stressed that the Slovak government could not agree to such a move.
The planned pipeline will connect Bratislava with a refinery in the Hungarian city Százhalombatta. It should be approximately 127 kilometres long and have an annual capacity of up to 1.5 million tonnes. It will be used primarily to transport refined products such as fuel. Completion is expected in the first half of 2027.
At the same time, during a phone call with the President European Council António Costa reiterated that Slovakia could not accept the stoppage of oil supplies through the pipeline Company. He expressed the expectation that the European Union would put pressure on Ukraine to restore the flow of oil.
According to the Slovak Prime Minister, the European Union should not prioritise the interests of Ukraine over the needs of its member states, including Slovakia and Hungary.
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