The European Commission is set to propose a ban on Russian oil by the end of the year over the Ukraine war, with restrictions on imports introduced gradually until then, Bloomberg reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Hungary, which is heavily reliant on Russian energy, has been among the most vocal in opposing the expansion of sanctions. Orban’s government has warned of severe damage to Hungary’s economy without access to Russian oil and natural gas.
“Since such decisions require unanimity, it makes no sense for the commission to propose sanctions affecting natural gas and crude oil that would restrict Hungarian procurements,” Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas told HirTV on Sunday.
Hungary’s position on imposing sanctions on Russian oil and gas “hasn’t changed, we don’t support it,” government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said in a Facebook post on Monday. He was refuting a report by German television network ZDF, which reported on Sunday that Hungary and Austria had lifted their veto threats.
ZZ/PR
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