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Hungary opposes the planned European ban on Russian oil

May 6th, 2022

A pro-government commentator fears that Hungary would find itself in war-like conditions if it has to cut oil imports from Russia, in line with the latest European Commission proposals.

Foreign Minister Péter Szíjjártó said Hungary ‘cannot responsibly support’ the planned European ban to end the import of Russian oil, as the country depends on Russian supplies for 65 per cent of its crude oil needs. Government spokesman Zoltán Kovács told CNN it would take Hungary 3 to 5 years to replace Russian oil. Hungary has so far supported all 5 rounds of European sanctions on Russia.

In Magyar Nemzet, Gergely Kiss warns that halting the inflow of Russian oil would result in extreme petrol shortages which would bring road traffic, the supply of consumer goods, and agriculture to a virtual standstill. Even if Hungary could find a replacement for Russian oil, it would require hundreds of millions of Euros and a long time to re-adjust its main refinery at Százhalombatta on the Danube, which was built specifically to process Siberian crude oil, the commentator of the number one pro-government daily continues. Hungary would thus be hit much harder by a ban on Russian oil than Russia itself, Kiss believes, with war-like conditions including empty shelves, and hopelessly long queues in front of shops. ‘Luckily enough’, he writes, ‘Hungary has voted to return those to government who put the national interest first’.

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