Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said today that he could veto the renewal of EU sanctions against Russia if Ukraine does not guarantee the resumption of Russian gas exports through its territory.
"The issue of extending sanctions is on the agenda," Orban said in a radio interview on Friday.
"I pulled the handbrake and asked European leaders to understand that this cannot continue. The Ukrainians are asking for help, for example, to impose sanctions on the Russians. For once, let's reopen the natural gas pipeline," the head of government in Budapest continued his statement.
EU sanctions, imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, expire on January 31 unless they are unanimously renewed, according to the Financial Times.
Although EU ambassadors discussed renewing the sanctions on Friday, the Hungarian representative refused to support them, presenting three demands. These include the resumption of the transit gas pipeline from Ukraine and the protection of pipelines passing through Belarus and Turkey from Ukrainian drone attacks.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue on Monday. If Orbán follows through on his threat, the EU may have to modify some of the sanctions, possibly triggering measures to preserve frozen Russian assets worth 190 billion euros in Belgium.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said Budapest would discuss the issue of sanctions with the US before making a decision. At the same time, European diplomats consider it possible that Orbán will ultimately approve the renewal of sanctions, having first negotiated further concessions from the EU.
Orbán claimed that the sanctions have increased energy costs for the Hungarian economy by 19 billion euros by 2022, while accusing Ukraine of not renewing its gas transit agreement with Gazprom. Hungary has reached a deal with Turkey to import Russian natural gas through the last active pipeline in Europe, while Slovakia and Austria are in similar negotiations.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has also called for the resumption of work on the Russian transit pipeline, arguing that ending the deal would cost Slovakia 1 billion euros a year in higher natural gas prices and 500 million euros in lost revenue from transit tariffs.
Meanwhile, the European Commission said that no price increase has been observed due to the termination of the agreement, but remains in contact with member states. (A2 Televizion)
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