Hungary needs European Union funds to be unlocked to diversify its energy supplies, Poland’s president said on Tuesday, offering some support to a country that has blocked a proposed EU ban on Russian oil due to the economic pain it would face. Andrzej Duda told a joint news conference with his Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novak that he hoped a proposed new package of EU sanctions on Russia – including the oil ban – could be approved with Hungary’s assent, but also offered Poland’s understanding over Budapest’s close energy ties with Moscow. Hungary says hundreds of millions of euros are needed to upgrade its refining and pipeline infrastructure so that it can cut out Russian oil, while a total modernisation of its energy system would cost billions of euros. Most other EU countries support banning Russian oil under the sixth package of sanctions designed to […]