Fiercely blocked, the EU is deadlocked on Russia’s oil embargo

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ruled out a full deal EU on a ban on Russian oil imports at next week’s Council of Europe summit.

In an interview with Politico on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, von der Leyen said she did not want to give “false expectations” about a deal to be signed next week.

“I think it is not an appropriate topic to address at the Council of Europe because what we are discussing is technical in nature. We are talking about landlocked countries that need an alternative supply to pipelines, so it is necessary to discuss investments in pipelines, increase in supply, refineries to be upgraded, investment, renewable energy must be developed,” said Ms. von der Leyen.

The comments of the President of the European Commission came after the Prime Minister Hungary Viktor Orbán announced that he would not discuss sanctions against Russia at the May 30-31 summit.

The imposition of sanctions on Russian oil marks an important test of the credibility of the EU. Almost three weeks have passed since von der Leyen proposed a complete ban on all Russian imports of crude oil and refined fuels, in an effort to cut off the huge revenue streams that keep Moscow afloat. military campaign in Ukraine.

Despite several rounds of negotiations and offers of more time to prepare for the ban, Hungary still blocked a deal on sanctions by the 27 EU countries. Budapest warned that banning Russian oil imports would deal a blow to the Hungarian economy.

Prime Minister Orbán’s government has said it will cost the country between 15-18 billion euros to get rid of its dependence on Russian oil, including overhauling its refinery and pipeline infrastructure. Negotiations are underway in Brussels on how to meet Hungary’s demands for cash.

“There is a political element that can be discussed – how much the other 26 member states are willing to make in exchange for the consent of Hungary, but the first and foremost difficulty is the technical one. that we’re discussing right now,” von der Leyen said.

Asked if he expected the issue to be discussed at next week’s summit, the European Commission President said: “I don’t expect that, I don’t want false expectations here. “.

Ms. von der Leyen also said she would talk to Prime Minister Orbán in the coming days.

“I went to see him in Budapest to find out what the point of the problem was and objectively it was a difficult and complex technical problem. Of course there’s always a political element to it, but it’s mostly a technical issue. Of course, we are in constant contact. If needed, I always contact him by phone,” von der Leyen said.