Hungary Slams EU “Hypocrisy” on Russian Oil Imports

By Staff, Agencies

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused fellow EU members of hypocrisy over Russian oil, charging that while they criticize Budapest for continuing imports, many of them still buy the same crude indirectly through third parties.

The comments followed US President Donald Trump’s demand that Western European states halt Russian oil purchases.

In a call with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and European leaders on Thursday, Trump complained that Russia had earned €1.1 billion [$1.3 billion] from fuel sales to the EU over the past year, despite sanctions.

Szijjarto defended Hungary’s position, stressing that as a landlocked country it depends on pipelines for energy security.

“Let’s not let the hypocrites mislead us, because among those who are the loudest in criticizing Hungary and Slovakia for their oil purchases, there is a significant number who are also buying Russian oil, only indirectly, through Asia,” he said at a press conference in Budapest on Friday. “They buy Russian oil secretly because it is cheaper. We buy Russian oil openly because we have no other option.”

The minister also criticized Brussels for blocking diversification efforts, saying the EU had refused Hungary’s request to expand Southeast European pipeline capacity. He added that Croatia, instead of enlarging its own alternative route, had raised transit fees.

While most EU states have reduced or banned direct Russian oil imports under sanctions – including a 2023 embargo on seaborne crude and a price cap – Hungary and Slovakia have opposed a full cutoff.

Both governments argue that abandoning Russian energy would undermine European security and push prices higher. Despite Brussels’ criticism, media reports have repeatedly revealed that several EU countries continue buying fuel refined from Russian crude via intermediaries.

Moscow has long insisted that the bloc is harming its own economy by reducing Russian energy supplies, forcing member states to pay more for alternatives or turn to indirect imports.