Orbán aims to block EU's plan from cutting off Russian energy
Photo: Orbán wants to receive oil and gas from Putin (Getty Images)
Hungary wants to prevent the European Union's plan to ban imports of Russian energy resources by 2027 due to Russia's war against Ukraine, Index reports, citing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
"In their energy price policy, they want to hurt the Russians and thereby help Ukraine, but Hungary takes the opposite position," Orbán said.
Hungarian Prime Minister stated that Ukraine's plan, which the European Union will help implement, involves stopping the purchase of gas and oil from Russia.
"If the Ukrainians succeed in getting a ban on the purchase of Russian gas within the EU, Hungary will have to pay an additional 800 billion forints ($2.2 billion - ed.) annually for energy resources," said the Prime Minister, adding that in this case, the electricity bill will double and heating costs will quadruple.
Orbán said that the European Union is preparing to sign an agreement with Ukraine that will allow Kyiv to keep an army of about one million troops ready for combat, even if there is no war. According to Viktor Orbán, "we Europeans will pay for this."
"Meanwhile, our armies are weak. Now we will be paying a bribe, even though Ukraine is an unstable political state. This could even pose a serious security threat. We will not send Hungarian money to Ukraine, and if we allow it into the European Union, it will soak up all our money like a sponge," the Hungarian Prime Minister said.
EU Plan
The European Commission will propose legal measures in June to gradually stop all EU imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027.
At the same time, the EU may ban Russian gas by setting a quota at zero, which would allow for bypassing Hungary's veto.
In addition, the EU Council plans to hold a meeting on May 27 to consider the possible launch of proceedings against Hungary under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union. This article provides a mechanism to limit a country’s rights, up to and including stripping its voting rights, due to serious violations of fundamental values.
