Hungary and Slovakia block the Energy Council resolution on the ban on Russian fuel imports

EU member states, still dependent on Russian gas, oil, and nuclear fuel, have rushed to prevent Brussels from banning energy imports, fueling Moscow's aggression against Ukraine.

The push against the plan to reject Russian supplies comes amid an escalating confrontation between Iran and Israel that is set to drive up energy prices. Opponents say the move will further exacerbate costs for European consumers.

Hungary and Slovakia slow the move to reduce Russian energy imports

EU energy ministers met on Monday to discuss the European Commission's initiative to phase out imports of Russian fossil fuels in response to Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, seen as a threat to Europe's own security.

Hungary and Slovakia vetoed a resolution from the EU Energy Council that would have urged the EU executive body to move forward with its plan in June, announced Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, after the meeting in Luxembourg.

Speaking to the media, Szijjártó said that the EU is committed to a plan agreed upon by the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and her Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, aimed at "cutting off cheap sources of natural gas and oil, thereby raising overall costs to the sky, especially in Central Europe."

During the press conference broadcast on Facebook, the official insisted that Brussels wants to make Russian energy imports impossible, pushing his country to rely on nations like Croatia and increasing the utility expenses for Hungarian families.