Hungary has announced that it will take the European Union to court over its decision to phase out Russian gas imports by 2027, a move Prime Minister Viktor Orbán described as “unlawful” and politically motivated.
Orbán announced on Friday, November 14, that his government would appeal to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to block the measure, which he claims was imposed without proper consultation.
“We do not accept this obviously unlawful solution contrary to European values,” he said on Hungarian state radio. “This is no longer a sanction but a trade policy measure—and sanctions require unanimity, while trade measures can be approved by majority. This is how Brussels tries to silence national governments that resist its agenda.”
The EU’s decision to end its dependence on Russian gas by 2027 was backed by all member states except Hungary and Slovakia. For Budapest, which still relies on Moscow for more than 80% of its gas and oil supplies, the ban threatens its national energy security and economic stability.
“We cannot simply switch off our energy supply because of political fashion,” Orbán said, reiterating that his country will not sacrifice its sovereignty to “please the Brussels elite.”
The Hungarian prime minister’s stance was strengthened last week after securing a one-year waiver from U.S. sanctions on Russian energy. During a private meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump—whom Orbán called his “dear friend and ally”—the Hungarian leader obtained a temporary exemption that, he claims, could last “as long as Trump is president of the United States and Hungary maintains a national government.”
European officials have reacted with frustration, accusing Hungary of undermining the EU’s unity against Moscow. Yet Orbán’s government insists that Brussels’ actions violate both European law and the spirit of the treaties. “Energy policy remains a matter of national competence,” a Hungarian government spokesperson said. “What Brussels is doing is an attempt to federalize Europe by force, removing one of the last pillars of national sovereignty.”
For Orbán, the EU’s decision is symptomatic of a larger trend in which unelected officials in Brussels seek to expand their control over energy, migration, and even social policy. “They want to build their empire on the ruins of the nation-states,” he warned earlier this year. “But Hungary will not be part of that empire.”
The European Court of Justice is expected to hear the case in early 2026, but regardless of the outcome, the confrontation already highlights the growing fracture within the Union. For Brussels, the lawsuit threatens to reignite debates over unanimity in foreign policy; for Budapest, it is a chance to reaffirm sovereignty and defend the principle that European nations must decide their own energy future.
