The European Commission has declined Hungary and Slovakia’s request that it mediate a consultation procedure with Ukraine over sanctions imposed by Kyiv on Russian oil producer Lukoil (LKOH.MM), a Commission spokesperson said on Friday.
“Commission services have preliminarily concluded that urgent consultations do not appear to be warranted,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said Brussels had no indication Ukraine’s sanctions had caused a risk to European security of energy supplies, since Russian oil was still flowing through the Druzhba pipeline that links Russia, via Ukraine, to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
“It appears that the sanctions imposed by Ukraine on Lukoil do not affect ongoing oil transit operations via Druzhba carried out by trading companies, as long as Lukoil is not the formal owner of the oil,” the spokesperson said.
Slovakia and Hungary – two countries that have opposed western allies’ military aid to Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion – have complained to Brussels about Kyiv’s move to put Lukoil on its sanctions list, saying it prevented them from buying Russian oil for their refineries, threatening security of supply.