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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called on the European Union to suspend sanctions on Russian energy imports, citing rising energy prices across Europe.
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Oil prices have surpassed $100 (€87) per barrel for the first time since August 2022, threatening to push consumer prices higher. Natural gas prices also rose sharply.
The EU imposed sanctions on Russian oil imports in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hungary and Slovakia received exemptions and continued to import significant volumes of pipeline oil from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukrainian territory.
The pipeline was damaged in a Russian drone attack in late January and has not been repaired since.
“The Ukrainian oil blockade and the war in the Middle East are sending oil prices soaring. Europe must act. Today, I wrote to President Costa and Von der Leyen calling for the review and suspension of sanctions on Russian energy,” Orbán wrote in a social media post on Monday.
Further details of the letter have not been disclosed. The Hungarian government also introduced a price cap for petrol and diesel and released state reserves.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico also criticised US and Israeli strikes on Iran as a key driver of the energy price surge.
“People are starting to realise how dangerous it is to have several regional conflicts, and they understand that they can lead to a global war. They fear an uncontrolled increase in energy prices, and many are wondering what will happen if there is a shortage of gas or oil,” Fico said.
The European Commission has not yet responded to the demand.
As things stand, EU sanctions apply only to Russian oil, but Russian LNG will be sanctioned at the end of this year.
The bloc has committed to phasing out all Russian fossil fuels by 2027, a measure adopted by qualified majority despite opposition from both Hungary and Slovakia, which have since launched legal challenges seeking to nullify the decision.
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