Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that Hungary is engaged in talks with Kyiv and Moscow to preserve the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine beyond 2024. He made this statement during a press conference on Saturday, December 21.
According to Orbán, Hungary has proposed a “trick” to both Ukrainian and Russian counterparts that could allow gas transit to continue despite the expiration of the agreement between Ukraine and Gazprom in 2024.
“We are now trying a trick… What if, when the gas enters Ukrainian territory, it is no longer Russian but owned by the buyers? This way, the gas entering Ukraine will no longer be Russian but Hungarian,” Orbán explained.
The Hungarian Prime Minister noted that negotiations are ongoing, and it remains uncertain whether the parties will agree. However, Budapest is not giving up on the Ukrainian transit route for gas.
At the same time, Orbán assured that Hungary has sufficient gas supplies, thanks to the TurkStream pipeline running through Bulgaria and additional deliveries from Romania.
Previously, Kyiv stated it would not extend the transit agreement with Gazprom but emphasized that Ukraine is open to transporting gas through its system, provided it is not sourced from Russia.
