Published: January 24, 2025 11:05 am
Author: RT
Budapest will support further restrictions only if Kiev reviews its approach to the transit of Russian energy, the Hungarian PM says
Hungary will back the extension of EU sanctions against Moscow only if Brussels pushes Ukraine to resume gas transit from Russia to the bloc, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.
The Hungarian leader’s comments come ahead of an EU vote on whether to prolong sanctions that are due to expire at the end of January. The EU renews sanctions every six months, and the procedure requires unanimity among its 27 member states.
“Hungary lost €19 billion [$20 billion] due to the sanctions, I pulled the handbrake, I asked the European leaders to understand that this cannot continue,” Orban said in an interview with the Kossuth radio station when asked about extending the restrictions.
He urged Brussels to persuade Kiev to resume gas transit from Russia to the EU via Ukrainian territory. Deliveries were halted from January 1 after Kiev opted not to renew a deal with Russia’s Gazprom.
“The Ukrainians want to mess with us,” Orban said, referring to Ukraine’s transit fees and gas delivery barriers, which according to the Hungarian leader have contributed significantly to the rise in energy prices. “This is a phone call, dear Ukrainian comrades, open the taps,” he added.
Orban also demanded that Kiev should guarantee the safety of TurkStream, the main remaining alternative gas supply route to Hungary. Earlier this month, the pipeline was attacked by Ukrainian drones targeting a compressor station in Russia.
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The PM stressed that oil supply routes to Hungary must also be protected from attacks of the kind.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, the EU prioritized eliminating the reliance on Russian energy resources. Several members of the bloc voluntarily halted imports of Russian gas, while others continued purchasing the fuel. Some nations are also consuming Russian liquified natural gas (LNG), which was only partially targeted by sanctions.
Kiev’s decision not to extend a five-year transit contract with Russia at the end of 2024 effectively cut off Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and Moldova from Russian piped natural gas.
