Steven N.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a proposal for a sixth sanctions package against Russia on Wednesday morning, according to which the EU will stop buying Russian crude oil within six months and refined oil by the end of the year.
EU member states need to discuss whether certain countries can get a postponement of the EU oil embargo, a European Commission spokesperson told Magyar Hang on Wednesday. However, Eric Mamer rejected the argument that “Hungary and Slovakia are in a structurally-different situation, as they have no sea and are highly dependent on Russian natural gas through pipelines, which require special attention.”
However, non-official sources informed Euronews that Hungary and Slovakia could be exempted from any Russian oil embargo until the end of 2023.
The Hungarian government has repeatedly said that it does not support any sanctions that affect the oil and gas sectors. Ambassadors from member states to the EU debated the subject on Wednesday, with a decision expected in the next couple of days. [Magyar Hang]
