Hungary is looking for alternative oil supplies as it prepares to reduce its dependence on Russian energy resources, Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban has said.

The country is seeking new sources of crude oil ahead of November 21, when a temporary exemption from US sanctions allowing purchases from Russia's Lukoil and Rosneft is due to expire, according to Kommersant.

Hungary's oil and gas company MOL is already working on plans to upgrade its refinery technology to enable it to process non-Russian crude oil, the minister said.

The proposed alternative supplies would come from southern sources through Croatian pipeline operator JANAF.

The move comes as Budapest faces the need to secure alternative energy supplies before the current sanctions exemption expires.