On January 21, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Hungary and Slovakia had agreed to file a joint lawsuit with the EU Court of Justice, opposing the European Commission's plan to completely ban the purchase of Russian oil and gas.
Speaking on M5 television, Mr. Szijjarto said the two countries had completed legal arguments to request the cancellation of the European Commission's plan, which would make the purchase of Russian gas "impossible from October 2027".
We will request the court to consider the case immediately and suspend the validity of this decision" - Mr. Szijjarto emphasized.
Previously, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared that Budapest would "use all available legal tools" to prevent the Russian fuel ban from taking effect.
On October 20, 2025, the EU Council approved a roadmap ban on all Russian gas, effective from January 1, 2028, applicable to both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The European Commission's plan also includes a ban on Russian oil imports from 2028, while the possibility of banning nuclear fuel is still being discussed.
The Hungarian government said it would seek exemption from the above regulations, but so far has not received any specific proposal from EU leaders.
Budapest has repeatedly affirmed that it cannot operate its economy without Russian energy, although it continues to diversify routes and sources of supply. However, Hungary emphasizes that diversification does not mean cutting off cooperation with "traditional and reliable" partners.
Currently, Hungary still imports most of its oil from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline, while gas is transported through the TurkStream gas pipeline and branches through Bulgaria and Serbia.
