Croatia is negotiating with the EU, Hungary, and Slovakia over using the Croatian Adria oil pipeline as an alternative to supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, to compensate for supply disruptions.
Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković told Reuters that Adria’s capacity reaches 15 million tonnes per year – enough to fully meet the needs of Hungary and Slovakia.
Croatia here as a neighbor, partner, and friend to ensure energy security and the smooth functioning of the economies of both Hungary and Slovakia
– Andrej Plenković
EU Context and Developments Around Supplies
The European Commission said that Croatia is considering the legality of importing Russian oil by sea with subsequent transport via Adria to Hungary and Slovakia.
On January 27, an attack in Brody, Lviv region, damaged a critical infrastructure facility; Naftogaz reported that the Russian army attacked a critical infrastructure facility in western Ukraine.
Hungary did not lodge a single protest to Russia over this. They couldn’t even utter the word Russia. Double standards at their finest
– Sibiga
Hungary and Slovakia announced the suspension of diesel exports to Ukraine until Russian supplies via the Druzhba pipeline are restored.
The European Commission stressed that Ukraine must resume operation of the oil pipeline due to the risk of further attacks, but the final decision rests with Kyiv.
Against these developments, countries are seeking ways to diversify supplies and stabilize the energy chain, since using Adria as an alternative to Druzhba could shift the energy-security balance with EU member states and neighboring markets.