Hungary Minister Backs Russian Energy Against EU, Opposition

Hungary’s top diplomat defended the country’s growing consumption of Russian energy, which has put Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s administration in the crosshairs of both the European Union and Hungary’s poll-leading opposition before an election in April.

Hungary plans to legally challenge the EU’s decision to phase out Russian energy imports, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Bloomberg News in an interview in Brussels on Thursday. He reiterated his government’s long-held view that as a landlocked country, Hungary shouldn’t be forced to cut Russian energy imports.