Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that his government will sue the European Union over its decision to gradually stop importing russian gas. He added that he is also "looking for other, non-legal" means.
It was reported by Euractiv.
Last month, the EU countries agreed to gradually stop importing gas from Russia by the end of 2027. According to diplomats, all but Hungary and Slovakia supported this step. At the time, the Hungarian authorities were already considering a lawsuit.
"We do not accept this obviously illegal decision, contrary to European values, which was chosen by Brussels to shut down a national government that does not agree with it. We are appealing to the European Court of Justice," Orbán said on November 14.
The prime minister added: "This is no longer a sanction, but a trade policy measure. And sanctions require unanimity (in the EU), while a majority decision is enough for trade policy."
However, Orbán said he was also "looking for other, non-legal" means to convince Brussels, but said he would not disclose details for now.
Orbán also said that the liberation of US sanctions, which he achieved last week at a meeting with his "dear friend" and ideological ally, US President Donald Trump, could take longer than a year.
US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said Budapest had been granted a temporary one-year exemption from sanctions, but Orbán insisted it would remain in effect "as long as Donald Trump is president of the United States and there is a national government in Hungary."
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the Hungarian government has pledged to buy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gas and weapons from the United States.
On November 7, Orbán visited Washington and met with US President Donald Trump. During the conversation with journalists, Trump asked whether Orbán believed in Ukraine's victory in the war. The Hungarian leader replied that "a miracle can happen," which made the American president smile.
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