Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia have paid Moscow €5.4 billion just for crude oil, enough to cover the cost of 1,800 Iskander-M missiles. Despite this, Budapest and Bratislava show no real efforts to abandon Russian oil, although this was the primary goal of the exemptions from sanctions against Russia.
This is reported by Business • Media
According to data, Hungary has significantly increased its dependence on Russian oil, from 61% to 86% in 2024, while Slovakia remains almost 100% dependent on supplies from Russia.
Concerns of Countries Regarding the EU Plan
Both countries express “serious concern” about the European Union’s initiative to phase out Russian energy resources. They believe that the main obstacles to implementing the plan are logistical difficulties and rising prices.
Alternatives for Energy Supply
However, experts are confident that the EU plan does not threaten the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia. The countries can import non-Russian oil from Croatia via the Adria pipeline, the Hungarian energy company MOL has the capacity to refine crude oil from other countries, and significant volumes of gas from the USA and Qatar are available in the Central European market.