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Hungary continues blocking funds from European Peace Facility — top Polish diplomat

Earlier, Kiev stopped the transit of oil from Lukoil, which is blacklisted in Ukraine, via its territory to Hungary and Slovakia

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski

© AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

BRUSSELS, July 22. /TASS/. Hungary continues blocking the allocation of funds from the European Peace Facility to compensate member countries for their spending on weapons for Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.

"This is a huge disappointment for me. <…> Today (on July 22, 2024 - TASS), the Hungarian foreign minister said that his country will continue blocking compensations [to EU countries] from the European Peace Facility. Another reason [for such a decision] was that Hungary cannot import Russian oil from the Lukoil company, which is under [Ukraine’s] sanctions," he said, adding that due to Budapest’s sanctions, Warsaw is failing to receive two billion euro from Brussels for the modernization of its armed forces.

Earlier, Kiev stopped the transit of oil from Lukoil, which is blacklisted in Ukraine, via its territory to Hungary and Slovakia. Oil to these countries is supplied via the Druzhba pipeline running across Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Budapest considers such Kiev’s steps as unfriendly and will raise this issue at a ministerial EU Council meeting on July 22. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico spoke over the phone with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Smygal to tell him that Bratislava "doesn’t want to be a hostage to Russian-Ukrainian relations." He stressed that Kiev’s decision may entail the cessation of supplies Slvanaft diesel fuel to Ukraine, which account for around ten percent of its consumption.

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Ukraine crisis Poland Hungary

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