According to Russian media reports, high-level EU sources said that although the EU has reached a consensus on the issue of the oil embargo on Russia, Hungary's position is not certain, and there are still variables in the formal vote.
Earlier, at the eu's high-level summit, a consensus was unexpectedly reached on the issue of the oil embargo on Russia.
It was an accident because Hungary had been opposed and had been very tough, even trying to prevent the matter from being discussed at the meeting. Originally, the EU parties did not have much hope, but Hungary did not expect to relax.
Hungary relaxed because the European Union made a huge concession to impose a partial embargo on Russian oil, only the part that was transported by sea, the oil transported by pipeline, without any impact.
Hungary, as a landlocked country, buys oil from Russia and transports it entirely through pipelines. Therefore, the new sanctions plan has nothing to do with Hungary, and the Hungarian side naturally has no reason to oppose it.
As a result, Hungarian leader Orbán chose to relax, saying it was a good idea.
However, because the plan has not yet fully become a formal bill, the EU top management is still unstable, fearing that it will continue to be out of the ordinary.
On the one hand, Hungary's position is not entirely certain, and it is possible to find other reasons to prevent the passage of the sanctions bill when voting; on the other hand, there may be other countries that come out to oppose it, after all, many countries are indeed inseparable from Russian oil.
As a result, the EU has hatched a more vicious alternative. If the oil embargo on Russia is not finally realized, then the oil imports from Russia will be taxed.
The reason why this plan is more vicious is mainly reflected in two points.
First, the tax increase scheme, according to EU regulations, does not require the unanimous consent of all member states, because it is not a new bill, but only a means of trade retaliation. Therefore, only a simple majority vote is required to pass.
This means that Hungary is completely unable to prevent this option, even if it is to unite some countries, it is impossible to make a majority in the EU.
Second, a tax increase would make Russian oil completely uncompetitive in Europe. EU member states are reluctant to give up Russian oil because it is cheap. Once a high tariff is set on Russian oil, so that Russian oil loses its price advantage, even if it is not stopped, I am afraid that no EU country is willing to sell.
If it is just a simple embargo, due to a buffer time, EU countries can continue to cooperate with Russia, even if the sanctions period is reached, they can also buy secretly.
But if the price is too high, secretly buying this road is also blocked, unless imported through irregular channels, but it is not a long-term solution.
So this option is more vicious than a direct embargo on Russian oil.
And that's the biggest deterrent to Hungary.
Now that the EU has given Hungary face and excluded Hungary from the embargo, Hungary can still buy cheap Russian oil as long as it cooperates with the EU and will not be affected.
If Hungary still wants to oppose, then directly raise taxes, then Hungary will be in trouble, Hungary is highly dependent on Russian oil, in the case of EU tax increases, Hungary has to face high tariffs to buy Russian oil.
Therefore, this tax increase measure has a great deterrent for those EU countries that rely on Russian oil, and under such a deterrent, they may have to agree to an embargo on Russian oil.