Hungary wants to see the details of the European Union’s proposal to impose sanctions on oil and gas imports from Russia before deciding whether to block them, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said today.
Hungary strongly opposes a gas and oil embargo, which Budapest says will destroy the Hungarian economy.
The country imports about 80% of its gas and 65% of its oil needs from Russia, with MOL refineries in Sazalobata and Bratislava, Slovakia, currently processing mainly Russian oil.
Germany will stop importing gas from Russia by the end of the year, German Foreign Minister Alena Berbock said on Wednesday.
Asked about Burbok’s comments, and whether Hungary would veto EU sanctions on Russian oil and gas, Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Goulas said: “We would like to see what kind of proposals are on the table and if there is an alternative to to replace the resources coming from Russia “.
Goulas added that in terms of gas imports, there is no such alternative in the foreseeable future.
“Not only the Hungarian economy, but also the German economy will be destroyed and slip into a deep recession without Russian gas; so any talk of it, or ethics, does not make sense,” he said.
“As far as oil is concerned, the situation is not significantly more favorable, but there are more alternatives,” he added.
Goulas said it would take several months, or up to a year, and hundreds of thousands of forints to adjust MOL refineries to process oil other than Russian.
“We need to make responsible decisions if we want to impose any sanctions. We need to show where we can import the energy resources they will give us, in what quantities … and who will pay for it. We can not see that today, and “It would be irresponsible to talk about these additional sanctions,” Goulas said.
Russia is Europe’s largest oil supplier, accounting for 26% of EU oil imports by 2020.
Sanctions on Russian gas are seen as a last resort for a possible EU energy package, given Europe’s dependence on it for industrial use and for household heating.
Source: Capital
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