Hungary Backs EU Ban on Russian LNG

The Hungarian government has agreed to support the European Union in banning Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies. According to EUObserver, this move removes one of the main obstacles to the adoption of the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, but other hurdles still remain in the form of Austria and Slovakia.

According to the publication's sources, Budapest, which has often blocked energy sanctions against Russia in the past, has this time refrained from demanding exceptions to the proposal for a complete ban on Russian LNG imports. If the package is approved, the ban could come into effect from January 2027.

However, after the change in Hungary's position, the main obstacle to the adoption of the new sanctions package has now become the positions of Slovakia and Austria. Sources note that Bratislava may make concessions during upcoming meetings, be it the EU foreign ministers' meeting on October 20 or the EU summit on October 23.

The situation is more complicated with Austria. Vienna insists on being given a "special exception" to unfreeze €2 billion of Russian assets for transfer to Raiffeisen Bank. This demand jeopardizes the adoption of the entire 19th sanctions package, as Austria could use its veto. Berlin and ten other capitals have already criticized Vienna's request, calling it unacceptable.

It was previously reported that the European Commission had postponed the presentation of the next package of sanctions against Russia, which was expected on September 17. The reason was a change in strategy: Brussels had decided to focus on pressuring Slovakia and Hungary to "reduce their dependence on Russian oil" instead of imposing new sanctions. Now that Hungary has made concessions on the LNG issue, Austria and Slovakia are in the spotlight.