Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter said on Monday that Hungary will ask the European Union to extend for one year an exemption from sanctions against Russia, which will allow the Slovnaft refinery, part of the MOL group, to export Russian refined products to the Czech Republic. Cijarto, quoted by Reuters, reports News.ro.

After a meeting with Slovakia’s foreign minister, Szijjártó said Hungarian energy group MOL needs another year to complete an investment in its Slovakian refinery Slovnaft, which would allow it to further switch to non-Russian crude oil.

“It is necessary to extend these investments for another year, so we ask the EU to extend for a year the exemption from sanctions, which allows MOL and Slovnaft, which is part of the group, to export Russian oil processing products to the Czech Republic. “, he told Sijarto at a press conference.

MOL owns refineries in landlocked Hungary and Slovakia, both fed through the southern segment of the Druzhba pipeline.

Slovakia receives almost all of its crude oil from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline, but plans to cut that share this year.

MOL President and Chief Executive Officer Zholt Gernadi told Reuters in April that MOL plans to partially fund the $500-700 million technology investment needed to diversify the supplies of the Danube and Slovnaft refineries away from Urals oil with EU funds.

“We would like to be able to freely decide at the end of 2025 when, how much and what type of oil we want to send to which refinery … by the end of 2025, beginning of 2026,” Ernadi said. in an interview.

Last year, only about 5% of Slovnaft’s oil supplies were non-Russian, but by the end of 2023 that share will rise to about 30-35%, or 2 million tons, he said.