The Hungarian government does not intend to comply with the European Union's ban on Russian gas supplies and is considering various ways to bypass it, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on the Kossuth radio station.
EU member states' permanent representatives have approved a new package of sanctions targeting Russia, according to media reports citing sources.
Bratislava and Budapest will file two individual lawsuits in the EU Court of Justice against the ban on Russian gas imports to the European Union starting in 2027 because it is impossible to file a joint complaint, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
The EU Council has formally approved a full ban on supplies of Russian liquefied natural gas to the European Union starting January 1, 2027, and on pipeline gas - starting September 30, 2027, according to a statement released by the EU Council.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has condemned the EU's decision to fully ban Russian gas supplies by 2027, calling it "a fraud".
The EU will lower its price cap on Russian crude oil to $44.1 per barrel, with the new rate taking effect on February 1, 2026.
Recent statements by Italian and French leaders that the European Union will have to negotiate with Russia have received support both in Brussels and other European capitals, Politico reported, citing sources.
Russia has almost doubled exports of liquefied petroleum gas in the January-November period to the Central Asian countries and Afghanistan to 1.016 million metric tons, industry sources said.
For the first time in history, imports of European goods into Russia have exceeded Russian exports to the European Union, with Russia’s trade balance posting a deficit of 0.5 bln euro over the first nine months of 2025, according to Eurostat.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the European Union to initiate a constructive dialogue with Russia, stating that establishing contact with President Vladimir Putin is necessary and urgent.
The issue of seizing Russian financial assets frozen in the West will not be on the agenda of the EU summit in Brussels, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said upon his arrival in the Belgian capital, where EU leaders are meeting on December 18-19.
EU foreign ministers will discuss new sanctions against Russia, including blacklisting 40 tankers allegedly carrying Russian oil, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said.
Russia's Central Bank has filed a lawsuit seeking 18.2 trillion roubles ($229.36 billion) in damages from Belgian central securities depository Euroclear, a Moscow court said on Monday.
Seizing Russian assets frozen in the West would lead to unpredictable consequences for the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned.
A European Commission spokesperson has stated that the EU intends to use frozen Russian assets to address economic challenges stemming from the conflict in Ukraine.
The EU representatives for the first time since the start of the special military operation agreed upon a block of sanctions outside the main sanction packages, a source in the diplomatic community in Brussels said.
The U.S. administration has opposed the European Union’s initiative to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine via a reparations loan, Politico reported, citing senior European diplomats.
Vladimir Putin stated that if Europe expresses a desire to cooperate economically with Russia, Moscow would not object to resuming work with them.
The European Commission has sped up the development of a legal framework to seize frozen Russian assets within the EU, according to media reports citing sources.
Russia ranked third in the total value of gas imports of the European Union as of the end of January - September 2025 with the share of 16.1%, according to Eurostat.
