Hungary wants the European Union to persuade Ukraine to resume transit of Russian gas to Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday, presaging a difficult debate as the EU seeks to expand its sanctions against the Russia during the coming week.
Hungary has not yet decided whether it will support the renewal of sanctions planned for the end of the month. The European Union renews its sanctions every six months, unanimously by its 27 member states.
Mr Orban, whose government has closer economic and political ties with Moscow than other EU countries, reiterated his criticism of the sanctions on Friday, saying they had caused 19 million euros in financial damage. billion euros ($19.9 billion) to Hungary. He did not specify how this figure was calculated.
“The question of the renewal of sanctions is now on the agenda and I have pulled the brakes by asking EU leaders to understand that this cannot continue any longer,” Orban said on the radio of state.
“It is not good that we pay the price for the aid provided to Ukraine […] and they are causing us problems,” he added, referring to Ukraine’s recent decision to cut off Russian gas flows to Europe through the Druzhba pipeline.
“We ask them to convince Ukraine to resume gas transit,” Orban said, adding that Budapest also wanted guarantees that Ukraine would not interrupt imports of Russian crude.
-EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to decide whether to renew sanctions and Hungary’s foreign minister foreshadowed a big debate, saying Hungary would also consult its US partners in the coming days.
In December 2023, Mr. Orban blocked European Union aid to Ukraine for weeks.
While Western European countries have made progress in weaning themselves off Russian energy, landlocked Hungary receives about 80 percent of its gas and most of its crude oil from Russia. Russian gas destined for Hungary is transported through the Turkstream pipeline via Serbia and the country did not import gas via Ukraine last year.
The European Union has suspended billions of euros in funds intended for Budapest, because it fears that Mr. Orban will undermine democratic balances.
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