Adding Fuel to the Fire: How Ukraine’s Weaponization of Energy Threatens Europe
MKI Position Paper – Analysis by Sándor Seremet, Gábor Papp & Philip Pilkington
The ban on the transit of oil from Lukoil through Ukraine has sparked backlash. The loss will have a serious impact on oil supplies, fuel prices and, by extension, many other areas—not only in Hungary and Slovakia but also in the broader region. Although Ukraine aims to punish Lukoil, the countries that will feel the effects of the ban the most are precisely those who provide Ukraine with raw materials or electricity when needed. Kyiv, which is fighting for its EU accession, is doing the same thing it accuses Moscow of doing: using energy as a weapon and a tool of influence. In the long term, Kyiv is only complicating its own situation, alienating potential partners in its European path.