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Hungary and Slovakia jointly oppose European ban on Russian energy

Budapest and Bratislava jointly reject the European Commission's proposal to ban Russian energy supplies, highlighting significant economic risks and a direct threat to their energy security, days ahead of a key meeting.

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Hungary and Slovakia have announced joint opposition to the European Commission’s proposal to entirely ban Russian energy imports into the European Union (EU). This stance precedes a crucial Foreign Affairs Council meeting scheduled in Brussels on June 23.

Unified stance against Brussels

The announcement was made by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto following talks in Bratislava with his Slovak counterpart, Juraj Blanar. Both countries intend to present a unified position to EU representatives, fearing the ban could lead to significant increases in energy costs for Hungarian and Slovak households. Peter Szijjarto considers the proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as designed to favour Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Next week, at the EU Foreign Affairs Council, we will jointly stand firm to prevent Brussels from endangering Hungary’s and Slovakia’s energy security to please Kyiv,” Szijjarto said according to Hungarian news agency MTI.

Strategic energy dependence

The Hungarian minister indicated that Central Europe’s existing energy infrastructure remains heavily dependent on Russian supplies. Without these resources, he stated, it would be impossible in the short term to guarantee reliable energy supplies for several European countries. He pointed out that the European initiative seems driven by political rather than economic considerations, rendering the proposal unacceptable to Budapest as well as Bratislava.

On June 16, both countries had already blocked an EU Council statement supporting Brussels’ proposal. The European Commission’s plan foresees a complete ban on Russian energy imports by January 1, 2028, with short-term contracts for both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas to be terminated by 2026.

Contested legal framework

To facilitate the adoption of this measure, Brussels has chosen to frame its initiative within trade policy rather than foreign policy, requiring qualified majority voting in the EU Trade Council. This strategic choice complicates efforts to block the measure, raising concerns among member states highly dependent on Russian energy sources.

Peter Szijjarto emphasised both countries’ determination not to accept that their citizens pay the price for such a decision: “We refuse to let the Hungarian people pay for the von der Leyen-Zelensky plan, and we will not allow Brussels to force Hungarian families to foot the bill for further support to Kyiv.”

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