Hungary wants EU to persuade Kyiv to resume Russian gas transit

Hungary wants the European Union to persuade Ukraine to resume the transit of Russian gas to Europe through its territory. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said this today. According to Reuters, his remarks suggest that the EU’s 27 member states face tough discussions next week on extending anti-Russian sanctions.

Hungary has not yet decided whether to support the sanctions, which expire at the end of this month. The EU extends them every six months and needs the consent of all member states to do so.

Orbán, who maintains close political and economic ties with Moscow despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reiterated his criticism of the sanctions today. He says they have cost Hungary 19 billion euros (about 477 billion Czech korunas). He did not explain how he arrived at this figure, Reuters notes. A few days ago, he wrote on his Facebook profile that the sanctions were „created by Brussels bureaucrats“ and that „the time has come for a change“. Euronews notes that a Hungarian veto would mean the collapse of the sanctions that hit Russia hardest. Orbán has previously threatened to veto measures related to support for Ukraine in order to secure concessions from the EU.

„I pulled the brake and asked European leaders to understand that this cannot continue,“ Orbán said today.

„Hungary must not be forced to pay so much for the sanctions,“ he added. „It is not right that we pay for helping Ukraine … while they cause us problems,“ the Hungarian prime minister said.

At the start of this year, Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas through its territory to the EU and Moldova. Kyiv explains the move by saying that Moscow partly funds its war against Ukraine with revenue from energy commodity sales. The Slovak government has strongly criticised the decision and is threatening Ukraine with retaliatory measures. The cabinet of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is also among the critics of the EU’s anti-Russian sanctions.

EU foreign ministers will discuss extending the sanctions on Monday, and Hungary’s foreign minister has indicated that he expects extensive debate. He said Hungary would also consult its partners in the United States. Euronews wrote that Hungary is arguing that Donald Trump’s return to the White House creates a new political context.

While Western Europe has made significant progress in ending its use of Russian energy commodities, Hungary buys about 80 percent of its gas and most of its oil from Russia, Reuters reports. Russian gas reaches Hungary via the TurkStream pipeline through Serbia, and Hungary imported no gas via Ukraine last year.

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