Budapest, Nov 14 – Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that his country will take the European Union’s plan to stop all Russian oil and gas supplies to the bloc to court.
Speaking on state radio, Orban said the EU was trying to sidestep his veto on sanctions by using trade rules. He called the scheme a “fragrant violation of European law.”
“We’re turning to the European Court of Justice,” he added. “It’s a flagrant breach of the rule of law and European cooperation, and they’ll pay a high price for it.”
A landlocked Hungary depends heavily on Russian energy. Since the war in Ukraine began, the country has demanded exemptions and warned it could veto EU sanctions. Orban claimed he secured a U.S. exemption for two Russian energy firms after meeting President Donald Trump at the White House. “We asked the president to lift the sanctions. He agreed,” Orban said. The break‑through, he said, will stay in place as long as the two leaders remain in office.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said the exemption will last one year. Orban warned that cutting Russian energy could trigger an economic collapse and said he’d look for “other, non‑legal ways” to avoid the EU’s plan.
The EU’s latest sanctions package, adopted in early October, adds a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from 2027 for long‑term contracts and within six months for short‑term ones. It tightens restrictions on Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, blacklists a Tatarstani oil conglomerate, and sanctions Chinese refineries and traders that buy Russian crude.
The package also targets the shadow fleet that helps Russia evade price caps. It names Litasco Middle East DMCC, a Lukoil‑linked tanker operator in the UAE, and several maritime registries that give fake flags to ships. The EU bans 557 vessels from port access and stops services for those ships, cutting off freight that plays a key role in Russia’s energy and military logistics.
Hungary’s move to court the EU’s plan reflects a widening rift over sanctions on Russia’s energy sector. Whether the court will side with Hungary or uphold the EU’s rules remains to be seen.
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