EU Confirms Sanctions Exception for Hungary, Slovakia

The European Commission has confirmed that in 2022, an exception was made for Hungary and Slovakia from the sanctions imposed on the import of Russian oil, in order to ensure the security of their energy supplies.

"Thus, they can currently import Russian crude oil," RIA Novosti quotes a European Commission representative. This statement followed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's claim that as a result of negotiations with US President Donald Trump, energy supplies via the "Turkish Stream" and "Druzhba" pipelines would be "fully exempt from US sanctions," receiving an indefinite exception.

However, the White House denied Orbán's words, clarifying that the exception was granted for only one year. According to the American side, Hungary has committed to diversifying its energy supplies and purchasing about $600 million worth of American liquefied natural gas.

Against the backdrop of these events, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi noted in his report that the European Union's energy market, contrary to the optimistic statements of the European Commission, "faces fundamental problems, a lack of natural resources," and gas prices in the EU are four to five times higher than in the US.