Talks to impose a sweeping ban on Russian oil imports to the European Union have appeared to be faltering, with the bloc still discussing carve-outs that could effectively exempt countries like Hungary, multiple news outlets reported Monday.
The TOTAL oil refinery is in Leuna, Germany.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reportedly said she expects the EU to agree on a Russian oil embargo by the end of a summit of EU leaders that kicked off on Monday, but an agreement could emerge later.
Ahead of the two-day summit, envoys from EU countries discussed a compromise that would ban Russian oil from being transported to Europe via ship but temporarily allow oil to keep flowing through pipelines, according to reports.
When Orban arrived at the summit, he told reporters that he still hadn't struck a deal, partly because he wants flexibility to seek out Russian oil if his country's imports are disrupted.
Most Russian oil arrives in the EU by ship, so a bloc-wide embargo that only applies to maritime imports would likely cut off most Russian oil shipments. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are more dependent on oil transported over land than on the sea.
Germany, which is the EU's largest economy, is aiming to cut itself off from Russian oil later this year, according to a report. Germany has cut back on imports of oil and natural gas from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian financial institutions, elites and key industries have been targeted by the EU in the months following the invasion of Ukraine. von der Leyen proposed banning all Russian oil from the EU within six months, following the EU plan to block Russian coal imports. It would require many European countries that have historically relied on Russian oil to look for alternative energy sources if Russia were to be restricted from exporting oil to the EU.
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