Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview with public radio on Friday that if Brussels succeeds in banning Russian energy imports, "Hungarian families will soon be paying twice as much for gas and electricity".

The prime minister said the government had gone to great efforts to make sure Hungarian families pay among the cheapest energy prices in Europe, notwithstanding the cost of sanctions against Russian energy.

Heating a typical Hungarian house costs around 260,000-280,000 forints as against 480,000 forints in Slovakia and up to 900,000 in Poland, he said.

Hungary, he added, had bought cheap energy from Russia, but a ban would mean paying 600-800 billion forints more for energy purchased from abroad.

PM Orbán said Hungary and he personally faced a serious fight in Brussels to prevent Hungarian households from paying twice as much for their bills.

Saying he needed "strength" for this fight, he called on Hungarians to help the government protect low utility bills and participate in the Voks 2025 vote.