Orban urges EU to lift sanctions on Russian energy

Hungary’s pro-Russia leader is calling on the European Union to lift all sanctions on Russian fossil fuels to address the rising energy prices triggered by the war in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, considered the Kremlin’s closest partner in the EU, said in a video posted to social media on Monday that he had sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after “oil prices began to grow explosively”, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The Iran war, now in its second week, has affected places that are critical to the production and movement of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf, leading to price surges on global markets.

In the video, Mr Orban said the 27-nation EU must “review and suspend all sanctions on Russian energy across Europe”.

He added he had convened an emergency government meeting on Monday to assess how to prevent further spikes in petrol and diesel prices in Hungary.

Mr Orban’s nationalist government has long opposed EU efforts to cut Russian energy imports, and along with neighbouring Slovakia has maintained and even increased supplies of Russian oil and gas since Moscow launched all-out war on Ukraine on February 24 2022.

Both countries have received a temporary exemption from an EU policy prohibiting imports of Russian oil, and have until recently taken Russian crude supplies through the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukraine.

But oil deliveries through the Druzhba have been halted since January 27, leading to an escalating feud between Hungary and Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government says a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline’s infrastructure, but Mr Orban has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of deliberately holding up the oil supplies.

In response, Mr Orban vetoed a new round of EU sanctions against Russia, and is blocking a major 90-billion euro (£79.3 billion) EU loan for Ukraine until flows are resumed.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli