Hungary signals plans to phase out Russian gas by fall 2027 under EU timetable
Hungary intends to follow the European Union's timetable for phasing out Russian natural gas by fall 2027, Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said in an interview with Hungarian outlet Telex published on November 3.
Asked whether Budapest expected to retain access to Russian gas as a backup option, Orbán pointed to the EU's deadline.
"The EU has set a clear deadline for phasing out Russian natural gas, which is fall 2027," she said.
The statement signals a shift from the policies of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government, which repeatedly defended Hungary's reliance on Russian energy supplies and resisted EU measures targeting Moscow.
Hungary's new government, led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, is working with the United States and neighboring countries to expand alternative energy supply routes.
Orbán said Hungary may need greater access to liquefied natural gas through Croatia, Greece, Poland and Lithuania, alongside improvements to regional pipeline infrastructure.
The Hungarian energy company MOL is also preparing its refineries to potentially process non-Russian crude oil delivered through Croatia's JANAF pipeline.
Hungary backs EU sanctions but maintains limits on military support
In the same interview, Orbán described sanctions as the EU's main instrument for increasing the economic cost of Russia's war against Ukraine.
She said Hungary supported measures that put pressure on Moscow without harming Hungarian interests.
The minister also said the current government had stopped blocking EU-wide decisions for reasons unrelated to Hungary's national interests.
According to Orbán, the previous government had vetoed elements of an EU sanctions package at the request of third countries. She did not explicitly identify those countries.
However, Hungary continues to refrain from supplying weapons to Ukraine or allowing arms shipments to transit its territory.
Orbán said Budapest's priority remained ending the war and achieving a lasting peace that would stabilize the region and allow Ukraine's reconstruction.
The foreign minister also said Hungary had expelled 10 Russian diplomats in September over activities incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.