Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that the volume of gas flowing from Hungary to Slovakia doubled in the first three months of the year compared to 2024.
This was made possible by the TurkStream pipeline, despite Ukraine halting the transit of Russian gas.
As of today, the pipeline between Hungary and Slovakia is operating at increased capacity. Its throughput has now grown by 900 million cubic meters per year—from 2.6 billion to 3.5 billion cubic meters, Szijjártó announced at a press conference with Slovak Parliament Vice Speaker Peter Žiga.
The minister emphasized that Kyiv’s refusal to continue transit created challenges for Budapest and Bratislava, but alternative routes helped solve the problem.
Back in January, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed confidence that Gazprom would find a way to fulfill its obligations. Since February 1, Slovakia’s largest energy operator, SPP, has been receiving gas via TurkStream under an existing contract valid until 2034.
SPP head Vojtech Ferenc previously reported that gas supplies through Hungary to Slovakia would significantly increase starting in April. The contract for Russian gas transit through Ukraine expired on December 31, and Kyiv refused to extend it, even for third-party gas purchases. On January 1, Gazprom halted deliveries via this route, citing the lack of legal and technical feasibility.
Robert Fico accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of damaging Slovakia’s and the EU’s economic interests. According to his estimates, the transit halt costs Bratislava between 500 million and 1 billion euros annually, while the total loss for the EU could reach 70 billion euros.
