Budapest, Hungary – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called on the European Union to suspend all sanctions on Russian energy, citing escalating global oil prices driven by the conflict in Iran. In a video message posted to social media on Monday, Orbán stated he had sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlining his proposal following a surge in oil prices.
Orbán argued that the EU must “review and suspend all sanctions on Russian energy across Europe.” He convened an emergency government meeting on Monday to address potential increases in gasoline and diesel prices within Hungary, according to the video statement. Hungary, along with Slovakia, has consistently opposed broader EU efforts to curtail Russian energy imports, maintaining and even increasing supplies of Russian oil and gas since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Both Hungary and Slovakia had previously secured temporary exemptions from EU policies prohibiting Russian oil imports, continuing to receive crude via the Druzhba pipeline, which traverses Ukraine. Although, oil deliveries through Druzhba were halted on January 27, triggering a dispute between Hungary, and Ukraine. Ukraine attributes the halt to damage caused by a Russian drone strike to the pipeline’s infrastructure. Orbán, however, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately disrupting the oil supply.
In response to the halted oil flows, Orbán vetoed a new round of EU sanctions against Russia and is currently blocking a proposed €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan package for Ukraine until supplies are restored. Orbán’s government has framed the situation as a deliberate attempt by Zelenskyy to create an energy crisis in Hungary ahead of local elections scheduled for April 12, alleging that this is part of a broader anti-Ukraine media campaign. According to reports, Orbán’s nationalist government is currently trailing in most polls.
Further escalating tensions, Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven employees of Ukrainian state banks and seized two armored vehicles carrying tens of millions of euros in cash and gold while crossing Hungary on Thursday, citing suspicions of money laundering. Ukraine maintains the cash shipment was a routine transfer between state banks and has strongly denied the allegations.
The call to lift sanctions comes as EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faces a no-confidence vote, according to reports. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly thanked Orbán for his veto of EU sanctions, acknowledging the situation in Iran as a potential “nightmare” for Kyiv.
