Hungary won’t suffer any oil shortages because of Ukraine’s decision to block the transit of Lukoil PJSC’s crude, the chief executive officer of refiner Mol Nyrt. said.
“Let’s not cause panic,” Zsolt Hernadi, chairman and CEO, told a conference in a recording shared by the Budapest-based company Monday. “I don’t think this will lead to an actual shortage.”
Hungary has 90 days of strategic reserves and can also buy Russian crude via Croatia, Hernadi said at the conference Friday. The nation is better off having more options for importing crude, he said.
Hungary has been reluctant to diversify its oil supplies, claiming without evidence that costs would be significantly higher to import from alternatives such as Croatia.
Hungary and Slovakia, both landlocked nations that obtained exemptions from EU energy sanctions on Russia, each get at least a third of their crude supplies from Lukoil.