Hungary may block sanctions against Russia - Szijjártó sets condition
Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Foreign Minister (photo: Getty Images)
Next week, EU foreign ministers will consider the extension of sanctions against Russia. Hungary may block the decision if its demand is not met, states Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on his Facebook page.
"The formula is clear: we cannot continue to pay for someone else's war while turning a blind eye to the risks to our energy security. Ukraine and/or the EU must provide guarantees that there will be no obstacles to gas and oil supplies to Hungary in the future," the Hungarian minister wrote.
According to him, he outlined Budapest's position to the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, during a telephone conversation with her today.
"It's not us who need to be convinced, but rather guarantees from Ukrainians," he added.
On January 1, 2025, Ukraine stopped transiting Russian gas to Europe, as the contract with Russian Gazprom expired. The main recipients of Russian gas in the EU were Hungary and Slovakia. Therefore, Ukraine's decision caused a flurry of criticism from these neighboring countries.
Thus, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to create obstacles on Ukraine's way to the EU and to stop supporting Ukrainian refugees if gas transit is not resumed.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also threatened Ukraine with a response to the transit shutdown. Now he has taken action and wants to block the extension of European sanctions against Russia. As Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, Orban's move would show that he is on the team of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
