Oil flow from Russia resumes
August 12th, 2022A pro-government pundit ridicules explanations by liberal commentators of the one-week interruption of Russian oil deliveries, while a left-wing commentator laments Hungary’s dependence on Russian gas and oil supplies.
In Magyar Nemzet, Zsolt Bayer excoriates liberal influencer Mária Vásárhelyi who speculated earlier this week that Russia might have interrupted oil supplies at the request of the Hungarian government, to create a fuel shortage in order to then lift the cap on petrol prices. Expensive fuel, she argued, would be still better than no fuel at all. Bayer now ironically asks her if the resumption of the supplies was also Prime Minister Orbán’s idea. Meanwhile, he remarks, he would appreciate a few words of thanks from Slovakia and the Czech Republic to Hungary for solving the short crisis by transferring the transit fee which the Russian oil exporting company owes to Ukraine. (The fee was paid by MOL and its Slovak subsidiary, Slovnaft.)
In Népszava, Miklós Hargitay likens Hungary to a mosquito in Russia’s cobweb. He admits that Russian oil is cheaper than its alternatives, but only because Russia finds it difficult to export its crude as a result of Western sanctions. Russian gas on the other hand, he continues, follows the world price. In conclusion, he sees the disadvantages of depending on Russian oil far outweighing the advantages.