Representatives of the Twenty-Seven met in Brussels on Sunday to discuss a proposal that would temporarily exempt Hungary’s key pipeline from an EU oil embargo. This was done in an effort to lift their sixth sanctions package against Moscow.
The proposal was made by France and European institutions. France holds the rotating presidency of EU. It provides for an embargo against Russian oil shipped by boat by the end the year. This excludes “for the moment”, any oil transported via Druzhba. This pipeline supplies Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Hungary is currently blocking these new sanctions. It is a landlocked nation without access to seawater and dependent on oil from Russia via the Druzhba Pipeline, which supplies 65% of its needs.
The Ambassadors of the Member States did not agree to the new proposal on Sunday. A new meeting will be held on Monday morning, before the opening of summit at 4 p.m.
