A new report from the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD), a European public policy institute, states that in 2025, Russian crude accounted for as much as 93% of Hungary’s oil imports, up from a 61% share in 2021. The report has been shared exclusively with DW.
It also points to Budapest’s deepening reliance on Russian gas and nuclear energy.
Describing Hungary as „the most significant remaining stronghold of Russian energy dependence” in Europe, the report says Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has purposefully deepened its dependence despite the EU’s attempts to move away from Russian fossil fuels.
„This analysis confirms that Hungary’s reliance on Russian oil, gas and nuclear fuel is a structurally reinforced system sustained by legal exemptions, long-term contracts, commercial incentives, and politically embedded business networks,” it states.
The Druzhba pipeline has pumped Russian oil to Europe for decades but has not been operational since late JanuaryImage: Bernadett Szabo/REUTERS
The report also draws attention to Hungary’s continued high imports of Russian gas, saying loopholes in the EU’s Russian gas phaseout plan mean the fuel will still be imported into the bloc after the late‑2027 deadline.
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„The current design of the legal Russian gas phaseout regime contains several structural loopholes that risk prolonging Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and undermining the effectiveness of the broader sanctions architecture,” Martin Vladimirov, director of the energy and climate program at CSD and one of the authors of the report, told DW.
The Hungarian government did not respond to DW’s request for comment on the findings of the report.
Taking advantage of EU exemptions
Hungary and Slovakia have benefited from exemptions to the EU’s general ban on Russian oil imports, with both countries continuing to import in large volumes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The US has also given Hungary exemptions from its sanctions on Russian energy. Last November, US President Donald Trump said Hungary could continue to import Russian oil and gas for a year. „It’s very difficult for him [Orban] to
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