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Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó
PHOTO: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP
At their meeting in Brussels, the EU foreign ministers did not achieve a breakthrough in the planned oil embargo against Russia.
The project is still blocked by Hungary.
Last week, Budapest made financial aid from the European Union a prerequisite for its approval of the new sanctions package.
Now Budapest can apparently quantify the costs more precisely.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke in a video message published on Facebook on Monday about investments of 15 to 18 billion euros that are necessary for his country to turn its back on Russian oil.
The financial aid is to be used to build a new pipeline.
It is "legitimate" that Hungary is expecting a proposal from the EU Commission, said Szijjártó, who attended the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Hungary covers more than 60 percent of its oil and around 85 percent of its gas requirements with deliveries from Russia.
So far, the oil has come from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline.
Orbán re-elected as prime minister
Almost two weeks ago, the EU Commission proposed an import ban on Russian crude oil and oil products, which should gradually come into force by the end of the year.
A longer transitional period was already planned for Hungary.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán nevertheless threatened to veto the move because he sees his country's energy supply at risk.
While his foreign minister was negotiating in Brussels, Orbán himself was, as expected, re-elected to a fifth term in the Budapest parliament on Monday afternoon.
On Monday, 133 members of the governing party Fidesz and representatives of the German minority voted for the right-wing politician.
In the elections on April 3, Orbán again won a constitution-changing two-thirds majority in the new parliament.
Orbán has long been at odds with the EU over alleged misuse of EU funds.
Hungary's blockade is causing frustration among EU partners
In the meantime, dissatisfaction with Hungary's blockade is growing in the EU.
"The whole Union is being taken hostage by one member state," criticized Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on the fringes of the foreign ministers' meeting.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who also traveled to Brussels for the meeting, insisted on quick action.
"Let me remind you that European countries continue to spend millions of euros on Russian oil and gas every day," Kuleba said.
This money then finances “the Russian war machine, aggression and atrocities”.
Kuleba argued that the EU was paying twice for energy imports.
So pay them first to Russia and then pay them again for supporting Ukraine and the destruction Russian weapons wreaked.
"It's not supposed to be like this," Kuleba said.
fek/AFP/dpa