European Discussions With Hungary On Russian Oil Ban Continue To Progress

On Monday, May 9th, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted to inform her followers that she had spoken with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on a possible EU-wide ban on Russian fossil fuels, and that progress had been made. She stated, “this evening’s discussion with PM Viktor Orbán was helpful to clarify issues related to sanctions and energy security. We made progress, but further work is needed.” The discussions debated the extent of sanctions and bans placed on Russia’s trade relationship with the European Union with respect to Russian oil and gas. Prime Minister Orbán has taken a more neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict relative to his neighboring European leaders, which has made him one of the roadblocks toward further weakening the Russian economy and taking a firmer stand against the war that started in Ukraine. 

Prime Minister Orbán has cast himself in a neutral light and does not want to fan the war by sending weapons to Ukraine or hurt Hungarian interests by imposing a strict ban on Russian oil imports. This makes Hungary more neutral, though it historically suffered under the Soviet Union where thousands of people were killed or forced to flee the country. Orbán has had some fairly Putin-esque takes on social issues. He vowed to “stop at Hungary’s border the gender insanity sweeping across the Western world” and to protect Hungarian national interests against the competing interests of Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and the European Union. This could be one of the reasons why the Hungarian government has failed to take a strong stance against Russia given their violent attacks on Ukraine. Orbán definitely has not applauded Russia’s military invasion, which his government has described as “aggression,” but neither has he failed to criticize Russian President Putin nor joined other European countries in helping Ukraine defend itself.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who attended the meeting between the two world leaders, stated that Hungary could not support this sanctions package unless the European Commission offered a solution to these problems and that the package of sanctions would be “equivalent to dropping a nuclear bomb on the Hungarian economy.” Hungary rejected the European Commission’s plan to see a complete ban on all Russian oil within six months and refined petroleum products from the country by the end of the year. Hungary and Slovakia would still be allowed to continue buying from Moscow until the end of 2023 under existing contracts. Nevertheless, Hungary declined from entering the agreement. While it is helpful to the Ukrainian cause that so many countries have placed sanctions on Russia, and European countries who are dependent on Russian oil are putting bans on it, it is important that the EU demonstrates solidarity, and that Hungary gets on board with the isolation of Russia’s economy.

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