Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Hungary still needs Russian oil and natural gas, which is why it will not join the United States, who introduced sanctions against Russian energy imports.
PM Orban said that he has informed Brussels of Hungary’s decision, adding that banning Russian energy imports would be a burden which the Hungarian economy cannot bear.
He said that Hungary imports 85 % of its natural gas and 64 % of its oil from Russia, while some 85 % of Hungarian households are using natural gas as the primary source of energy.
Previously, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov asked the EU if Bulgaria could be exempted from the bloc’s energy sanctions against Russia, because it is almost completely dependent on Russian energy imports.