“A matter of sovereignty”: two EU countries are in favor of maintaining gas and oil imports from Russia
13 June 2025 10:16
Hungary and Slovakia have announced their strong stance against the European Union’s initiative to completely abandon Russian energy resources. This was stated by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on his Facebook page, commenting on the upcoming meeting of the EU Energy Ministerial Council in Luxembourg, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Opposition to Brussels’ decision
According to Siyarto, the agenda of the meeting on June 16 will include the issue of the forced termination of purchases of Russian gas, oil and nuclear fuel. He criticized this initiative, accusing the EU leadership of attempting “blackmail” that, in his opinion, “will double or triple the cost of electricity for Hungarian families.”
“Today, my Slovakian colleague Juraj Blanar and I consulted by phone and agreed that we cannot accept such a gross violation of our sovereignty. The formation of the national energy policy is a matter of sovereignty, and no one from outside can interfere with it,” Szijjarto emphasized.
He emphasized that Budapest will defend national interests by opposing energy pressure from both Brussels and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The gas issue: Hungary and Slovakia at the center of the energy conflict
After the end of Russian gas transit through Ukraine at the end of 2024, Slovakia mainly receives fuel through Hungary and the Turkish Stream gas pipeline.
Both countries insist on resuming transit through Ukraine, and Slovakia has even threatened to veto EU financial aid to Kyiv if it does not make concessions.
EU seeks energy independence
Instead, the European Union intends to completely abandon Russian energy resources by 2027. This course was adopted after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The European Commission has already developed a roadmap:
- a ban on new contracts for the import of Russian gas;
- a ban on spot transactions;
- studying legal mechanisms for terminating existing contracts.
However, experts note that it will be difficult to legally terminate long-term agreements. Force majeure may not work, and companies risk facing fines or arbitration.
