Speaking to the outlet Telex, Orban said alternative routes would require expanded infrastructure. She cited a liquefied natural gas terminal in Croatia and the pipeline linking it to Hungary, and deliveries through Greece that could open access to LNG and Azerbaijani fuel. She also mentioned terminals in Poland and Lithuania but said using them would require removing bottlenecks in regional transport infrastructure.
Asked whether the government expected to keep access to Russian fuel, the minister said: "The European Union has set a clear deadline for phasing out Russian natural gas — autumn 2027."
Hungary is also preparing to give up Russian oil. The country's largest oil and gas company, MOL, is upgrading its refineries so they can process non-Russian crude, which it plans to obtain through Croatia's JANAF pipeline system.
Talks on access to JANAF could be helped by a deal under which MOL plans to buy a controlling stake in Serbian oil company NIS, currently held by a Gazprom entity. On October 20, Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali told Bloomberg Adria TV that the agreement had been signed and was awaiting approval from antitrust authorities in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The next day, MOL Group said the document had not yet been signed.
The interview also touched on a US exemption allowing Hungary to avoid sanctions-related duties on Russian oil purchases until November 21. Orban specified that it covers supplies from Lukoil and Rosneft.
According to The Moscow Times, the EU decided to ban imports of Russian LNG from January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas from September 30. EU rules already prohibit purchases of gas under short-term contracts. In September, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar demanded that the EU compensate the country for giving up Russian gas and oil.
Besides Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece and Slovakia continue to buy Russian pipeline gas in the EU. In 2025 Hungary received a record 7.8 billion cubic meters, according to former Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. Figures for 2026 deliveries have not been disclosed, but in monetary terms they fell 10% in January-October, to 1.71 billion euros.
Budapest's position on Russian energy changed after the opposition Tisza party came to power in May 2026. The previous government of Viktor Orban opposed giving up Russian gas: in February, Hungary filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice challenging the REPowerEU regulation, which envisages a full ban on Russian gas imports in 2027.
Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US proposed to Russia the idea of selling natural gas to Europe through an American intermediary, bypassing European sanctions. Moscow would have to transfer the proceeds to an escrow account in a third country so the Kremlin could not use the money to finance the war. The proposal also envisaged restoring gas transit through Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the plan could not yet be implemented.