Hungary‘s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, has called on the European Union to pressure Ukraine into resuming the transit of Russian gas to Europe.
His plea comes in the wake of the contentious discussions as the EU prepares to extend its sanctions against Russia in the coming week.
Hungary has not yet confirmed its stance on supporting the renewal of sanctions, which require unanimous agreement among the EU’s 27 member states and are reviewed every six months.
Orbán, whose government maintains closer economic and political ties with Moscow compared to most other EU nations, reiterated his disapproval of the sanctions on Friday.
He claimed they had caused financial damage amounting to €19 billion (£16.4 billion) to Hungary, although he did not elaborate on how this figure was calculated.
He criticised the current situation, saying, “It’s not right that we bear the costs of supporting Ukraine while they create problems for us.” This was about Ukraine’s recent decision to halt Russian gas flows to Europe through the Druzhba pipeline.
“We are asking the EU to persuade Ukraine to restart the gas transit,” Orbán added, noting that Budapest also seeks assurances that Ukraine will not block Russian crude imports.
EU foreign ministers are set to meet on Monday to deliberate over the sanctions renewal. Hungary’s foreign minister has indicated that the discussions will be heated, adding that Hungary plans to consult its US partners in the coming days.
This is not the first time Orbán has resisted EU initiatives; in December 2023, he delayed EU financial aid to Ukraine for weeks.
While Western European nations have made strides in reducing their reliance on Russian energy, Hungary, a landlocked country, continues to depend heavily on Russia for energy supplies.
Around 80% of Hungary’s gas and the majority of its crude oil are sourced from Russia. Last year, Hungary imported no gas through Ukraine, instead relying on the TurkStream pipeline, which delivers gas through Serbia.
Meanwhile, the EU has suspended billions of euros in funding for Hungary over concerns that Orbán’s government has undermined democratic checks and balances.
