Hungary would veto EU sanctions on Russian energy, minister says

Hungary would veto any European proposal that leads to the restriction of energy imports from Russia, according to a senior minister in Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government.

“We’ve made it clear that we’ll never support” extending European Union sanctions against Russia to the field of energy, Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas told HirTV on Sunday.

The EU is set to propose a ban on Russian oil by the end of the year over its war in Ukraine, with restrictions on imports introduced gradually until then, Bloomberg reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. 

Hungary, which is heavily reliant on Russian energy, has been among the most vocal in opposing the expansion of sanctions.

“Since such decisions require unanimity, it makes no sense for the Commission to propose sanctions affecting natural gas and crude oil that would restrict Hungarian procurements,” Gulyas said in reference to the EU’s executive.

Orban’s government has agreed with Russia to allow the conversion of their gas payments to rubles, testing the EU’s sanctions policy. Russia on Wednesday cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, making good on a threat to stop flows if payments aren’t made in rubles.