Hungary calls on EU to lift Russian oil sanctions after US eases restrictions – UPDATE: reactions

Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó has called on the European Union to suspend sanctions affecting Russian oil, arguing that keeping restrictions in place could push fuel prices higher across Europe while the United States temporarily eases its own measures. The remarks were published on Friday in response to a US decision that, according to Szijjártó, would allow more Russian oil to reach global markets by sea and increase supply.

The comments were reported by Anadolu Agency.

Why Hungary says the EU could face higher fuel prices

Szijjártó said Washington’s decision to suspend sanctions on Russian oil transported by sea—linked in the report to disruptions stemming from conflict in the Middle East—would increase global supply and could reduce prices, which the report noted were trading around $100 per barrel on Friday.

In a post on X quoted by Anadolu, Szijjártó argued that Europe would not benefit from this development because Russian oil remains banned from the European market under EU policy. He urged Brussels to reconsider and “follow the American example” by suspending restrictions on Russian oil supplies, saying that allowing these volumes back could help curb price increases.

He also warned that fuel prices were rising across Europe as gasoline and diesel costs increase, and called on the EU to waive Russian oil sanction.

The US measure: temporary and limited, according to Washington

According to Anadolu’s summary, the United States on Thursday temporarily authorised the purchase of Russian oil already stranded at sea, describing the move as an attempt to stabilise global energy markets.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as quoted in the report, characterised it as a “narrowly tailored, short-term measure” applying only to oil already in transit. The Treasury Department exemption allowing purchases of Russian oil at sea is set to expire on 11 April, Anadolu reported.

EU criticism: “unilateral decision” and security concerns

The EU, however, criticised the US step as a “unilateral decision”, Anadolu said.

European Council President Antonio Costa, quoted in the report, called it “very concerning” and warned it could affect European security. In a statement on X cited by Anadolu, Costa argued that increasing economic pressure on Russia is decisive to push it towards serious negotiations for a just and lasting peace, and that weakening sanctions increases Russia’s resources to wage war against Ukraine.

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Strategic reserves: additional releases cited in the report

Anadolu also reported that the US Department of Energy decided to release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The move followed an agreement by the 32-member International Energy Agency to release around 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves—described by Anadolu as the largest coordinated release in the agency’s history.

What this means politically inside the EU

Szijjártó’s comments highlight a familiar fault line inside the EU: the balance between economic pressures at home (including energy costs) and the political goal of maintaining pressure on Russia through sanctions.

In Hungary’s framing, temporarily easing restrictions could be justified as a consumer-protection step at a moment of market stress. In the EU leadership’s framing, weakening sanctions risks undercutting broader security objectives tied to the war in Ukraine.

With Washington presenting its measure as time-limited and narrow, the immediate question for EU capitals is whether this episode increases pressure to revisit the bloc’s position—or whether Brussels will instead double down on the argument that sanctions must remain firm, even if energy markets tighten.

Yesterday, we wrote about the fuel price cap introduced by the Hungarian government.

UPDATE: France says rising oil prices in ‘no way’ justify lifting Russian oil sanctions

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday ruled out lifting Russian oil sanctions as oil prices soared amid Middle East tensions.

“The situation in no way justifies lifting sanctions against Russia,” Macron said during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris.

He noted that Russia is “mistaken” if it believes “the war in Iran will offer it a respite.”

“The context of rising oil prices must in no way lead us to reconsider our sanctions policy toward Russia. That is the position the G7 has taken, and it is obviously the position of France and of Europe,” Macron added, Anadolu reports said.

He further reaffirmed that “nothing will divert” Paris from Ukraine, reiterating its “determination” to continue providing necessary equipment to Kyiv.