EU news: ‘Crisis’ in country as Ukraine ‘takes revenge’ for Putin meet | World | News

Hungary is facing a nightmare scenario of power blackouts and fuel shortages, after Ukraine imposed a partial ban on Russian oil passing through its territory.

Kyiv imposed the restrictions last month in an attempt to deprive Vladimir Putin of essential funds for his war in Ukraine.

The pipeline carries 200,000 barrels of crude per day, all of which contributes to the vast profits the Kremlin makes from its oil sales – some £140 billion in 2023 alone.

The Druzhba pipeline transports Russian crude from Lukoil to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic via Ukraine.

The EU countries were granted permission by Brussels to continue importing the Kremlin’s oil despite Western sanctions, in a move designed to give them more time to find alternative fuel supplies.

Hungary is heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuel supplies, importing 70 percent of its oil from Moscow.

In April, Budapest was the EU’s largest importer of Putin’s fossil fuels, spending £352million on oil and gas deliveries.

The ban could see energy prices explode and the country face electricity shortages within “weeks”, according to Ilona Gizińska from the Centre for Eastern Studies think tank.

She told Politico: “The Ukrainian measures could create a severe situation.”

Tensions between Ukraine and Hungary have steadily grown since the outbreak of war in February 2022.

Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly expressed scepticism about Ukraine‘s chances of defeating Russia‘s army and has doggedly pushed for peace negotiations.

Ukraine‘s President Zelensky last week criticised Orban’s peace mission to Moscow earlier this month, when the Hungarian prime minister met Putin.

Kyiv is also growing increasingly infuriated with Hungary’s obstruction of EU military aid for its army, as well as Budapest’s opposition to Ukrainian membership of the European Union.

Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian MP, hinted the ban was partially a retaliation against Hungary for its anti-Kyiv stance.

“We have really tried all the diplomatic solutions, and they never worked,” she told Politico.

“So it seems like we have to find some other approaches in how to talk to them.”