Last month, EU countries agreed to ban all imports of Russian gas from 2028, a move opposed by both Hungary and Slovakia.

17:34, Fri, Nov 14, 2025 Updated: 17:41, Fri, Nov 14, 2025

EUROPEAN UNION

Ursula von der Leyen and the EU are facing legal chaos (Image: Getty)

Hungary confirmed it will take legal action against the European Union, as a simmering dispute over Russian gas threatens to plunge the bloc into chaos. Budapest is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas for its energy needs and has used its EU veto many times to gain exemptions to sanctions imposed by Brussels.

Last month, EU countries agreed to ban all imports of Russian gas from 2028, a move opposed by both Hungary and Slovakia. Hungary's Prime Minister has vowed to take Brussels to court to stop the ban in a move that is likely to deepen and exacerbate divisions among the bloc's member states. “We do not accept this obviously unlawful solution contrary to European values, which was chosen by Brussels to shut down a national government that disagrees with it,” Vikor Orban told state radio on Friday.

HUNGARY

Viktor Orban is taking the EU to court (Image: Getty)

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”We are turning to the European Court of Justice."

Hungary currently has a 15-year supply contract with Russia's Gazprom for 4.5 billion cubic meters a year up until 2036.

The Russian gas is imported through the TurkStream pipeline that runs under the Black Sea. The gas then is pumped to Hungary through the Balkan Stream network via Bulgaria and Serbia.

Hungary also imports oil from Moscow via the Druzhba pipeline, and has increased the amount it purchases from the Kremlin since 2022.

Budapest upped its dependence on Russian crude oil from 61% pre-invasion to 86% in 2024.

This year, Russia accounted for 92% of Hungary’s crude oil imports, while Slovakia is "almost 100" reliant - according to a report from CREA, and the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD).

The authors of the report noted that both countries could phase out Russian oil easily, with the Adria pipeline in Croatia capable of picking up the slack.

The Hungarian Prime Minister claimed a US sanction waiver he secured last week from Donald Trump could be extended beyond a year.

The White House has hit Russia's two largest oil companies – Rosneft and Lukoil – with new sanctions that prevent firms and states from doing business with them.

US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said Budapest was granted a one-year temporary exemption but Orbán insisted it would be in effect “as long as Donald Trump is the president of the United States and there is a national government in Hungary”.