KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine guarantees oil transit for companies that are not subject to sanctions and is ready to resolve transit issues with Slovakia in line with a European Union association agreement, a deputy energy minister said on Tuesday.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday his country would halt diesel supplies to Ukraine unless Kyiv restores oil flows from Russia’s Lukoil through its territory.
Ukraine in late June imposed sanctions against Lukoil, one of the largest Russian oil companies, banning it from any activity on Ukrainian territory and stopping its oil from passing to Slovak and Hungarian refineries.
Deputy Ukrainian Energy Minister Roman Andarak said on Tuesday Ukraine was “ready to resolve possible problematic issues” once Slovakia activates a relevant mechanism in the EU Association Agreement.
“To date, it has not done so,” Andarak said in a written comment to Reuters, adding that Kyiv “guarantees uninterrupted oil transit” for all companies that are not subject to Western and Ukrainian sanctions.
Slovakia, along with Hungary, have opposed Western allies’ military aid to Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion, and have been stepping up their pressure since Kyiv’s sanctions on Lukoil.
Oil deliveries through Ukraine from other Russian suppliers have not been interrupted, and Ukraine continues to be a reliable partner for the EU in oil transit services, Andarak said.
“The Ukrainian side has not stopped transit, it continues, all nominations are fulfilled,” he said.
The joint share of Slovakia and Hungary in diesel supplies to Ukraine is about 10% and Ukrainian analysts say it could be covered from other sources.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Jason Neely and Helen Popper)
