Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

EU's Russia oil ban in jeopardy as Hungary rejects sanction as 'atomic bomb' for economy

EU's Russia oil ban in jeopardy as Hungary rejects sanction as 'atomic bomb' for economy

Viktor Orban could veto the bloc's planned oil embargo unless the EU comes back with proposals which recognise Hungary's difficulties, which include an energy infrastructure pointing almost squarely towards Moscow.

Hungary has warned it cannot accept the EU's planned ban on Russian oil as it would amount to an "atomic bomb" for its economy, threatening to scupper the bloc's sixth sanctions package against Moscow.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban - no stranger to disputes with the bloc's executive - told state radio he was ready to negotiate on any proposal that would meet Hungary's interests.

But he declared that what was on the table would prove too costly.

The country sources almost 65% of its oil supplies, including refined products, from Russia.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, used a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday to declare that the time had come for the bloc to ban Russian oil supplies within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

She said then: "It will not be easy. Some member states are strongly dependent on Russian oil. But we simply have to work on it.

"Putin must pay a price, a high price, for his brutal aggression."

The proposal, part of a new round of measures aimed at punishing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, follows a similar move announced by Britain and the United States in March.

Hungary and Slovakia, under the embargo plan, have been given an extra year to make alternative arrangements.

The Reuters news agency, citing three EU sources, reported on Friday that further concessions under discussion to win nation states over would include giving Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic more time to adapt to the embargo, and help with upgrading their own oil infrastructure.

Hungary's opposition poses a threat to the embargo as it requires the support of all 27 member states to be approved.

It was only made possible after Germany, Europe's biggest economy, declared that it was now in a position to source the supplies it needed from elsewhere.

In his radio interview Mr Orban, who was re-elected for a fourth term last month and is widely seen as a Putin ally, voiced concern about the EU's backlash against Russia's actions.

Viktor Orban is seen after casting his vote in Hungary's elections last month


He reiterated that Hungary would not send weapons to Ukraine, like some other member states, insisting his country's stance was "for peace".

On the specific energy issue, he argued that Hungary would need five years and make huge investments in its refineries and pipelines to be able to adjust to any Russian oil ban.

"We know exactly what we need, first of all we need five years for this whole process to be completed... one to one-and-a-half years is not enough for anything," Mr Orban said.

He said Hungary was waiting to see a new proposal from the commission.

"I don't want to confront the EU but to cooperate... but this is only possible if they take our interests into account."

Mr Orban also said Hungary would not support the blacklisting of the head of the Kremlin-allied Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, as this was an "issue of religious freedom".

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×