Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that Ukraine, with the approval of Brussels, stopped the transit of Russian gas through its territory, attempting to exert pressure on Hungary and Slovakia and involve them in the conflict.
In a video message published on Facebook at a diplomatic forum in Antalya, Orban said that Ukraine and European bureaucrats closed a major gas pipeline earlier this year in order to force Budapest and Bratislava to intervene in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Orban emphasized that Hungary now receives Russian gas only through the “Turkish Stream,” making Turkey a key partner for the country. He noted that his visit to Antalya was aimed at negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also mentioned that despite pressure from Brussels, Hungary intends to protect its national interests and will not succumb to blackmail.
In January, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that Budapest had received the necessary guarantees on energy security from the European Commission, without which Hungary would not have agreed to extend sanctions against Russia. The EU took on the responsibility of protecting gas and oil pipelines through which Russian raw materials are supplied to the EU and demanded that Ukraine ensure the continuity of oil supplies.
On January 1, Gazprom announced that it could no longer continue gas transit through Ukraine due to the termination of the agreement with Naftogaz. Ukrainian authorities had previously stated that they did not plan to extend the transit agreement.
