Hungary’s Orbán defies Trump, vows to keep buying Russian energy

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on September 26 that Hungary will continue sourcing fossil fuels from Russia despite demands from US President Donald Trump to cut ties with Moscow’s energy sector.

Hungary remains one of the few European countries still purchasing Russian oil and natural gas following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump, an admirer of Orbán, earlier this month urged all NATO members, including Hungary, to stop buying Russian oil, arguing that doing so would end the Russia-Ukraine war, the Associated Press writes. 

In an interview with state radio, Orbán said he recently told Trump that dropping Russian energy imports would cripple Hungary’s economy.

“I told the U.S. president ... that if Hungary is cut off from Russian oil and natural gas, immediately, within a minute, Hungarian economic performance will drop by 4%,” Orbán said. “It means the Hungarian economy would be on its knees.”

EU member states have worked for three years to reduce reliance on Russian energy in a bid to deprive President Vladimir Putin of revenues fueling the war. But Hungarian officials insist that geographical and infrastructural constraints make it nearly impossible to switch to Western energy supplies.

Some countries in the region have managed to diversify. The Czech Republic, also landlocked, has fully stopped Russian oil imports, while Slovakia continues to maintain them.

Orbán, often described as the EU leader closest to the Kremlin, said Hungary would continue to prioritise national interests over external pressure.

“It is clear what is in Hungary’s interest and we will act accordingly,” he said. “Hungary and the United States are sovereign countries. There is no need for either of us to accept the arguments of the other. America has its arguments and interests, and Hungary does too.”

By Sabina Mammadli