British News Agency

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a statement posted on X on Monday that the country will use “all legal means” to overturn the ban, adding that it “runs counter to our national interests and will significantly increase energy costs for Hungarian families.”

EU lawmakers and leaders agreed in December to end purchases of natural gas from Russian exporters by the end of 2027; a similar ban on crude oil is also expected later this year.

Leaders approved the law on Monday, but Hungary and Slovakia, which are heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels, voted against it, arguing that it would cause energy prices to surge.

Hungary said it will initiate legal proceedings against the EU after the law is formally adopted (likely in early February). Szijjártó has repeatedly threatened to sue the EU, but this is the first time he has set out a specific timeframe.

He criticized the EU for using a “legal trick” by presenting the law as a trade measure rather than a sanction requiring unanimity.

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said in a statement, without giving a specific date, that Slovakia will also sue the EU.

Blanár said: “We cannot accept solutions that do not reflect the real capacities and specific conditions of individual countries.”