The proposal came the same day Zelenskyy refused to repair the Druzhba pipeline, calling the cost in the lives of the workers doing the repairs “too high a price.” Brussels has long planned to phase out Russian oil—but now there’s a date, and it lands three days after Viktor Orbán faces Hungarian voters.
The European Commission will submit a legal proposal on 15 April to permanently ban all Russian oil imports by the end of 2027, according to EU officials and a document seen by Reuters.
The Commission committed to the oil ban when Parliament approved the Russian gas phase-out in December 2025.
The date falls three days after Hungary’s 12 April parliamentary election—timing two EU officials confirmed was deliberate, designed to keep the ban out of Orbán’s campaign while giving any successor government room to comply.
The Commission committed to the oil ban when Parliament approved the Russian gas phase-out in December 2025. The October committee vote had already pushed for an oil cutoff. What’s new is the date—and the political calculation behind it.
How it works—and why Hungary can’t stop it
The oil ban would follow the same legal path as the Russian gas ban adopted on 26 January. That regulation was passed by a qualified majority of 24 to 2, with only Hungary and Slovakia voting against. No veto could be used.
Hungary and Slovakia have vowed to challenge the gas ban in court.
The oil proposal would use the exact mechanism: a regulation under the REPowerEU framework, requiring a qualified majority, not unanimity.
Hungary and Slovakia have vowed to challenge the gas ban in court. They would likely do the same with an oil ban. But the law would take effect while litigation proceeds.
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EU at 1%, Hungary at 92%
By the final quarter of 2025, the EU was importing just 1% of its oil from Russia. Hungary moved in the opposite direction: it increased its dependence on Russian crude from 61% before the full-scale invasion to 92% by 2025, turning a temporary EU derogation into a permanent business model.
Hungary’s own refiner MOL admitted in November that it can meet 80% of its supply needs through Croatia’s Adriatic pipeline.
Bulgaria proves the derogation was never a necessity. Sofia ended Russian crude imports on 1 March 2024, voluntarily cutting short its exemption. Prices did not spike.
The refinery switched to non-Russian crude. Hungary’s own refiner MOL admitted in November that it can meet 80% of its supply needs through Croatia’s Adriatic pipeline.
The ban would be enshrined in legislation—meaning it would survive even if a future peace deal led to sanctions being lifted. The pipeline Orbán is holding €90 billion hostage over isn’t just damaged. It’s being legislated into obsolescence.
