Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that Croatia is capable of ensuring crude oil supply to Hungary and Slovakia to address the disruption in oil supply faced by the two countries due to damage to the Druzhba pipeline. Croatian state media quoted Plenković as saying, "As a neighbor, partner, and friend, Croatia is committed to ensuring the energy security and smooth economic operation of Hungary and Slovakia."

Since the suspension of Russian crude oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline at the end of last month, Hungary and Slovakia have begun using their strategic oil reserves to meet demand. At the end of January, damage to the Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian crude oil to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, led to a disruption in supply.

Since January 27, the supply of oil to these two EU member states, which rely on Russian crude oil from the Druzhba pipeline, has been halted. Croatia is currently in discussions with Hungary, Slovakia, and the European Commission to formulate a plan to ensure stable crude oil supply.

Croatian pipeline operator JANAF recently assured the market and the public that it is capable of providing non-Russian oil to meet the needs of Hungary and Slovakia. Last week, JANAF responded to media reports, stating, "The company believes that cooperation and reliability are the most important business values, and its activities contribute to ensuring that the crude oil supply to Central European countries—Hungary and Slovakia—remains completely unthreatened."

Referring to the Hungarian energy company MOL Group on February 20, the company stated, "Currently, significant quantities of non-Russian crude oil are being transported via the JANAF pipeline for the MOL Group, while three additional tankers carrying non-Russian oil are also en route to the Omišalj terminal, also for the MOL Group." This week, JANAF indicated that a shipment for MOL is being unloaded at the Omišalj terminal, and by early April, seven more tankers carrying non-Russian origin oil are expected to arrive for the same user of the JANAF pipeline system.