Orban says Hungary will not support EU ban on Russia oil imports

Hungarian PM says proposals would be like dropping an ‘atomic bomb’ on country’s economy

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (AP)

Hungary will not support the European Union’s sanctions package on Russia, which includes an embargo on oil imports, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

The Hungarian leader said the current proposal banning Russian oil imports would amount to an “atomic bomb” being dropped on the Hungarian economy, adding that Budapest was ready to negotiate if it sees sanctions would meet the country’s interests.

The European Union’s executive earlier this week proposed the toughest package of sanctions yet against Moscow for its war in Ukraine, but several countries are worried about the impact of cutting off Russia oil imports.

A handful of eastern EU countries are concerned it would not allow them enough time to adapt, even though diplomats said Hungary and Slovakia would be given until the end of 2023.

Orban told state radio that Hungary would need five years and make huge investments in its refineries and pipelines to be able to transform its current system which relies about 65 per cent on Russian oil.

“We know exactly what we need, first of all we need five years for this whole process to be completed... 1-1.5 years is not enough for anything,” 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.”

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.”

He reiterated Hungary’s position not to send any weapons to neighbouring Ukraine as those shipments would become targets of Russian attacks in the area beyond the border in western Ukraine where ethnic Hungarians live, he said.

Orban, a controversial populist leader, was recently re-elected to serve a fourth term as Hungary’s prime minister.

He has been criticised by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for his lack of support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

After winning re-election in April, a defiant Orban said: ““The entire world can see that our brand of Christian democratic, conservative, patriotic politics has won.

“We are sending Europe a message that this is not the past, this is the future.”