Why did Ukraine expand sanctions against Lukoil? And what will this lead to?
The General Manager for Security and Sustainability at DiXi Group Olena Lapenko analyses the consequences and reasons in a publication for European Pravda link: ▶️ https://bit.ly/4c2V8SI
Olena Lapenko, sees the decision to ban the transit of oil sold by the mentioned Russian company as completely logical since our country aims to reduce the revenues that the terrorist state uses to finance the war.
The expert emphasizes: “In a situation where we are demanding a full oil and gas embargo from the EU, our readiness to ensure the transit of Russian oil looks strange”.
The ban caused a sharp reaction from Hungary and Slovakia, which are still dependent on pipeline supplies of this resource and are exceptions to the pan-European embargo. However, both countries have the technical capability to use oil from the Mediterranean market, for example, through the Croatian Adria terminal. They also had plenty of time to prepare for the new realities
The need to diversify energy resource supplies was noted in the REPowerEU plan, which was agreed upon by all EU states, and some, like the Czech Republic, have already managed to eliminate their dependence on Russian oil. Moreover, Ukraine has repeatedly warned about its intention to tighten sanctions, although it did not give sufficient attention to the informational support of such a step.
“Filing a complaint either in the EU arbitration or in the WTO dispute resolution body does not seem like a reliable scenario for Hungary and Slovakia,” assures Olena Lapenko. Instead, they are more likely to rely on political pressure. Even if it works, a powerful result for us will be the establishment of a clear final deadline for the complete abandonment of Russian pipeline oil
And what about the frankly incorrect Hungarian threats to stop supplying us with electricity? The expert reminds us that given the significant deficit, we not only import it but also ask for emergency assistance. Olena Lapenko emphasizes: “And if the issue of commercial imports is mostly purely technical market work, providing emergency assistance is the good will of the neighboring country’s operator”
“Hungary is not the country that provides us with the most such assistance,” notes the General Manager for Security and Sustainability at DiXi Group. “Rather, they refuse.”
