Hungary to mount court challenge to EU’s planned phase-out of Russian energy, Orbán says

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary will challenge the European Union’s plan to end Russian energy imports and take the case to an EU court, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday.

Speaking on state radio, Orbán accused the bloc of trying to sidestep his veto power over sanctions on Russian energy by using trade rules instead in its plan to phase out all imports of Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027.

“We are turning to the European Court of Justice in this matter,” Orbán said Friday. “This is a flagrant violation of European law, the rule of law and European cooperation … They will pay a very high price for this.”

Hungary remains heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels and has sought exemptions and threatened to veto EU sanctions since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. During a visit to Washington last week, Orbán secured an exemption from U.S. sanctions on two Russian energy companies following a White House meeting with President Donald Trump.

Numerous U.S. officials have said the waiver, which ensures Russian oil and gas will continue to flow to Hungary, will last one year, though Orbán has insisted it is indefinite. On Friday, Orbán credited his close personal relationship with Trump for receiving the exemption, and said it would remain in place as long as both he and the president remain in office.

Orbán has called continued access to Russian energy “vital” for his landlocked country and warned cutting it off would result in an economic collapse, though some critics dispute that claim.

The Hungarian leader on Friday said he was “also exploring other means of a non-legal nature” to avoid falling under the EU’s planned Russian energy phase-out, but declined to say what they were.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine