As the European Union races to approve its new sanctions package on Russia by the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine next week, a new obstacle may have appeared.
The bloc was already struggling to agree on a maritime ban on Russian oil, but now Hungary and Slovakia are leveraging their vetoes on the EU's 20th sanctions package in order to ensure that Russian oil still flows to them either via the damaged Druzhba pipeline or through Croatia.
SEE ALSO: EU Quizzes Ukraine On Timeline For Repair Of Druzhba Oil PipelineSeveral European diplomats that RFE/RL has been in touch with under condition of anonymity confirmed Hungary and Slovakia have signaled they put in a so-called general reserve on the sanctions package.
This means Budapest and Bratislava will require extra information or reassurances that their demands on oil flows will be respected before they give their go-ahead for the package.
While the European Union has imposed an import ban on Russian oil via pipelines due to the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia secured exemptions to those sanctions using the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian oil to Central Europe via Ukraine.
The deliveries from this pipeline, however, have been halted since January 27, with Kyiv stating a Russian drone was responsible for damaging the energy infrastructure.
SEE ALSO: EU Sanctions Envoy Says Measures Steadily And Increasingly Choking Russia Of Key RevenuesHungary and Slovakia have nonetheless blamed Ukraine for being slow in restarting the flow. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico even accused Kyiv of doing this to pressure Budapest to drop its long-term veto on Ukraine's future membership in the European Union.
On February 18, they also said they were halting diesel exports to Ukraine until oil flows restarted.
In the meantime, the European Commission has contacted Kyiv about the situation and Hungary has official asked Croatia to pump Russian oil instead, using its pipeline network.
Croatia has said it will comply with the request, provided that is compatible with EU and US sanctions law.
EU ambassadors will meet on February 20 with the hope of giving the necessary unanimous green light to the sanctions package, but European diplomats told RFE/RL they aren't ruling out that they might have to meet again over the weekend to have the sanctions ready for approval when the bloc's foreign ministers meet in Brussels on February 23.
Apart from Hungary and Slovakia's last-ditch reserve, member states' representatives have not yet agreed on what shape the potential maritime ban on Russian oil should take.
The European Commission's idea is to prohibit EU economic operators from providing services to any vessel transporting oil from Russian ports. Such a measure would go beyond the current oil price cap -- imposed by the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrial nations and currently set at $47.60 per barrel -- as it would prevent EU-flagged vessels from transporting Russian oil completely.
Non-EU boats would be exempt but wouldn't be able to rely on EU port services and insurance.
EU maritime nations such as Cyprus, Greece, and Malta have, however, pushed for the measure to be approved by the G7 first. But few in Brussels believe the G7 will ever agree on such a move, and the main issue now is securing an agreement that will allow the EU to go for a maritime ban in cooperation with other like-minded third countries.