Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has conditioned his country’s support for extending EU sanctions on Russia on Ukraine resuming Russian gas transit, he stated.
Hungary will only endorse the EU’s continued sanctions against Moscow if the EU pressures Ukraine to reinstate the flow of Russian gas through its pipelines, Orban declared on Friday. This statement precedes a crucial EU vote on the sanctions renewal, scheduled before their January expiration. This comes weeks after Ukraine halted Russian gas transit to Hungary.
“Hungary suffered €19 billion [$20 billion] in losses due to these sanctions; I’ve called a halt and urged European leaders to recognize the unsustainability of this situation,” Orban explained during a Kossuth radio interview concerning the sanctions extension.
He pressed the EU to convince Ukraine to resume gas transit from Russia to the EU across Ukrainian territory. These deliveries ceased on January 1st following Ukraine’s refusal to renew its agreement with Russia’s Gazprom.
“The Ukrainians are deliberately hindering us,” Orban claimed, citing Ukraine’s transit fees and gas delivery obstacles as major contributors to rising energy prices. “This is a direct appeal, fellow Ukrainians – open the pipelines,” he added.
Orban further demanded Ukraine guarantee the security of TurkStream, Hungary’s primary remaining gas supply route. Earlier this month, Ukrainian drones targeted a Russian compressor station on this pipeline.
The Prime Minister emphasized the need to protect Hungary’s oil supply routes from similar attacks.
In the wake of the 2022 Ukraine conflict escalation and the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, the EU prioritized reducing dependence on Russian energy. Several member states voluntarily stopped Russian gas imports, while others continued purchasing it. Some countries also utilize Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), which was only partially affected by sanctions.
Ukraine’s decision to terminate its five-year transit contract with Russia at the end of 2024 effectively cut off the supply of Russian piped natural gas to Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and Moldova.