Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has asserted that Hungary will challenge the European Union’s plan to end Russian energy imports and take the case to an EU court.
Speaking on state radio, Orbán accused the EU bloc of trying to sidestep his veto power over sanctions on Russian energy by using trade rules instead in its plan to phase out all imports of Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027.
Last month, EU countries agreed to phase out their remaining gas imports from Russia by the end of 2027. According to diplomats, all but Hungary and Slovakia supported the latest move.
Hungary remains heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels and has sought exemptions and threatened to veto EU sanctions since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Orbán stressed that Hungary does not accept this “obviously unlawful” solution contrary to European values, “which was chosen by Brussels to shut down a national government that disagrees with it.”
“We are turning to the European Court of Justice in this matter. This is a flagrant violation of European law, the rule of law and European cooperation … They will pay a very high price for this.”
Viktor Orbán
He said of the EU decision that this is no longer a sanction but a trade policy measure. “And sanctions require unanimity (in EU voting), while a majority decision is sufficient for trade policy,” he stated.
During a visit to Washington last week, Orbán secured an exemption from US sanctions on two Russian energy companies following a White House meeting with President Donald Trump.
Trump slapped sanctions on Moscow’s two largest oil companies in October, apparently losing patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin for not ending the nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
Numerous US officials have said the waiver, which ensures Russian oil and gas will continue to flow to Hungary, will last one year, though Orbán has insisted it is indefinite.
In his remarks on state radio, Orbán credited his close personal relationship with Trump for receiving the exemption, and said that it would remain in place as long as both he and the US President remain in office.
“This is a personal agreement between two leaders. The bureaucrats write whatever they write but that has no significance,” he said.
Viktor Orbán
Orbán has called continued access to Russian energy “vital” for his landlocked country and warned cutting it off would result in an economic collapse, though some critics dispute that claim.
Hungary Explores Other Means To Avoid Falling Under EU’s Planned Russian Energy Phase-out
Moreover, the Hungarian leader disclosed that he was “also exploring other means of a non-legal nature” to avoid falling under the EU’s planned Russian energy phase-out, but declined to say what they were.
More to come…
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