Hungary warns it could veto EU’s Russia sanctions

Budapest could block the measures if it loses its exemptions on Russian energy supplies, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said

Hungary could block EU sanctions on Russia if the union’s policies jeopardize its own energy security, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has warned. Budapest will only permit the imposition of restrictions if they retain current exemptions on Russian energy supplies, he said.

The EU prohibited the transport of Russian crude oil by sea in December 2022 as part of its large-scale sanctions campaign against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. However, landlocked Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic insisted on being granted waivers from the measure due to the lack of alternative supply sources.

“The sanctions are being reviewed in a cycle of six months usually, and as long as the sanctions are on, these exemptions must stay there, because otherwise we would veto the sanctions,” Szijjarto said in an interview with RIA Novosti, published on Tuesday. He emphasized that, for Hungary, the question of sourcing energy from Russia is not a political issue, but a matter of energy security.

Szijjarto recalled that, apart from targeting Russian oil with sanctions, Brussels has also set a goal of abandoning Russian gas by 2028 as part of its REPowerEU plan. He slammed the plan as an “absolutely irrational,” politically motivated decision.

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“This approach has nothing to do with physics, with economic competitiveness… with the green transition. This is purely a political commitment, and making political commitments in the field of energy simply doesn’t make sense,” he said, accusing the EU of taking a “dogmatic ideological approach” which is a “no go” for Hungary.

“You replace a source of energy in two cases – number one is if you are unsatisfied with cooperation… two – if you have a better offer… So why would we change an already existing source of energy based on reliable cooperation to something uncertain which on top of that is more expensive?” Szijjarto argued, referring to the EU’s attempts to source supplies in alternative markets, such as the Middle East and the US.

Hungary’s imports of oil from Russia were put in jeopardy earlier this year after Kiev halted the transit of crude supplied by Russian energy giant Lukoil via the Druzhba pipeline, citing sanctions on the company. Budapest slammed the move as “blackmail” over its refusal to cut ties with Russia. It appealed to the European Commission to intervene, but was refused on the grounds that Kiev’s move does not affect the bloc’s energy security. The situation has still not been resolved.

READ MORE: Hungary can’t survive without Russian oil – FM

Hungary relies on Russia for roughly 70% of its crude imports, with Lukoil accounting for nearly half of that figure. However, it also receives oil from other Russian companies, such as Rosneft and Tatneft, which have not been sanctioned and continue to pump the commodity through Druzhba.