Key Points and Summary – Donald Trump’s new Truth Social post links fresh U.S. sanctions on Russia to a full NATO embargo on Russian oil—effectively putting Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico in the crosshairs.
-EU Russian oil imports have fallen from 27% in 2022 to about 3% in 2024, with most of the remainder flowing to those two holdouts.
-Trump’s framing carries two big ripple effects: it empowers Brussels to lean harder on Budapest and Bratislava, and it signals Kyiv could shutter the Druzhba pipeline that supplies them.
-If Ukraine acts, both nations would be forced off Russian crude. Expect loud protests—and recalculations.
Although tying US sanctions to Hungary’s and Slovakia’s oil imports gets the United States off the hook of having to take the lead with respect to sanctioning Russia, it also has two, possibly unintended, consequences.
First, Trump has effectively given Europe the green light to pressure Orban and Fico to comply, not with the European Union’s wishes, which may always be resisted, but with those of Trump, which are far more difficult to resist. It’s now up to the EU to utilize Trump’s green light and strongarm Hungary and Slovakia.
Second, Trump has also given Ukraine the green light to close down the Druzhba pipeline that traverses Ukraine and provides Hungary and Slovakia with Russian oil.
-EU Russian oil imports have fallen from 27% in 2022 to about 3% in 2024, with most of the remainder flowing to those two holdouts.
-Trump’s framing carries two big ripple effects: it empowers Brussels to lean harder on Budapest and Bratislava, and it signals Kyiv could shutter the Druzhba pipeline that supplies them.
-If Ukraine acts, both nations would be forced off Russian crude. Expect loud protests—and recalculations.
Although tying US sanctions to Hungary’s and Slovakia’s oil imports gets the United States off the hook of having to take the lead with respect to sanctioning Russia, it also has two, possibly unintended, consequences.
First, Trump has effectively given Europe the green light to pressure Orban and Fico to comply, not with the European Union’s wishes, which may always be resisted, but with those of Trump, which are far more difficult to resist. It’s now up to the EU to utilize Trump’s green light and strongarm Hungary and Slovakia.
Second, Trump has also given Ukraine the green light to close down the Druzhba pipeline that traverses Ukraine and provides Hungary and Slovakia with Russian oil.
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