Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has warned the prospects of Europe agreeing a ban on Russian oil exports are “not looking good”.
His country is holding out on a European Union agreement to ban Russian oil ban in a bid to intensify pressure on Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine.
Speaking to the press ahead of an EU summit on Monday, Mr Orban said he needed “solutions” to secure Hungarian energy security before sweeping Russian oil sanctions are agreed.
He said there was no clear compromise and blamed the “difficult position” on the “irresponsible bevaviour” of the European Commission.
European Union leaders admitted the summit was unlikely to reach an agreement on a Russian oil ban.
“We’re not there yet,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “But I’m confident that thereafter there will be a possibility.”
Earlier, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said it was more realistic to expect an agreement next month.
“I don’t think we’ll reach an agreement today. We’ll try to reach an agreement by the summit in June, this is the realistic approach by now,” Ms Kallas said.
The next summit is scheduled for June 23-24.
A draft text seen by Reuters - which may still be revised again - would confirm that an eventual sixth package of EU sanctions will include a ban on seaborne oil imports, with pipeline oil supplied to landlocked Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to be sanctioned at some later point.
However, the leaders will not finalise a deal on this now but instead they will ask diplomats and ministers to find a solution that would also ensure fair competition between those still getting Russian oil and those cut off.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said “these are not easy decisions,” adding: “I have no doubts that within the next days, the next weeks, decisions will be taken.”
