The Hungarian Prime Minister has labeled it “hypocrisy” for the European Union to advocate abandoning Moscow’s oil and gas under the guise of diversifying energy sources.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared that the European Union’s endeavor to forsake Russian energy is “absurd,” affirming Budapest’s ongoing opposition to the move.
Earlier this week, EU energy ministers endorsed a European Commission proposal aiming to entirely eliminate Russian oil and gas by 2028, integrated into the broader sanctions against Moscow. While existing contracts are permitted to persist, the bloc’s prohibition on new gas transit agreements with Russia will commence on January 1, 2026.
In a Friday interview with Kossuth Radio, Orban stated that Hungary, unlike many other EU nations, maintains neutrality regarding the Ukraine conflict and persists in acquiring Russian energy, leading to pressure from Brussels to align with the rest of the Union.
He asserted that Budapest is “still fighting” the prohibition on Russian-supplied oil and gas. The prime minister further remarked, “This battle is not lost yet. Significant tactical moves are necessary… to counter this,”.
He also mentioned that Hungary is presently “working on how to circumvent” the sanctions imposed on Russian energy companies.
Orban suggested that Brussels is advancing with the ban primarily because “they do not want to accept that in Hungary the utilities prices are extremely low compared to other EU states.”
He characterized the assertions from EU leadership — that Russian oil and gas ought to be forsaken to diversify energy supplies — as “hypocrisy.”
“Diversification entails acquiring your energy from as many sources… as possible,” the prime minister elaborated. He clarified that Hungary presently utilizes two oil supply routes: the primary one via the Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian energy through Ukraine, and a secondary route traversing Croatia.
Orban questioned, “If supplies through Ukraine are halted, then two routes diminish to one. What form of diversification is that?”
Russian President Vladimir Putin had stated earlier this month that, by rejecting Russian energy, the EU confronts “a drop in industrial output, escalating prices stemming from more costly American oil and gas, and an overall reduction in the competitiveness of European goods and its economy.”