Fidesz MEP calls on EC to take ‘immediate steps’ against Ukraine’s ‘blackmail’

In an interview to public radio on Friday, Deutsch criticised the EC’s “inaction” concerning Ukrainian restrictions of the transit of Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia, insisting that Ukraine was engaged in “blackmail” and in breach of its association agreement with the EU.

Noting that Fidesz’s EP group has sent a letter to the EC urging it to take action on the issue, Deutsch said Ukraine’s decision to restrict crude deliveries to two EU member states was “unprecedented”, as it seriously imperilled their energy security.

He said Ukraine had made it clear that its goal was to blackmail Slovakia and Hungary with the aim of getting them to change their pro-peace stance and join the “pro-war coalition backing the expansion of the Russia-Ukraine war with money, weapons and political support”.

Deutsch said it was “obvious” that Ukraine would “ignore even the issue of energy security if it serves its political goals”. Also, the country was prepared to violate the association agreement with the EU “because the European Commission thinks it has to stand by Ukraine politically under all circumstances”.

Regarding Ukraine, “pro-war political interests supersede all else”, he said, insisting that the EC had failed to fulfil even its most basic obligations if it led to bolstering pro-peace efforts, and was even prepared to “look the other way” when it came to “political blackmail”.

Brussels’ decisions, Deutsch said, were dictated by “an ideological bias that ignores the law”. He said the EC would take action once Ukraine started taking steps that directly went against the economic, political and security interests of western European countries, adding that such a scenario was “easy to imagine as Ukraine becomes emboldened”.