Kiev has jeopardized the bloc’s energy security in Central Europe by halting the transit of Russian gas, the Hungarian foreign minister has said
Ukraine has put energy security in Europe at risk by suspending pipeline gas transit through its territory, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said. He added that Budapest has managed to secure supplies thanks to Serbia.
Kiev refused to extend a five-year transit contract with Russian energy giant Gazprom at the end of 2024, effectively cutting off EU member states, including Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and Moldova, from the flow of natural gas.
“Ukraine has abandoned Central Europe in terms of energy supply security after shutting down the natural gas pipeline that used to transport gas from Russia, from the east, to Europe – primarily to Central Europe,” Szijjarto said in a video shared on Facebook on Saturday, stressing that the move has placed the region in a difficult position.
The foreign minister went on to say that Serbia is now providing transit shipments to ensure sufficient energy supply to the region, adding that Hungary currently receives over 20 million cubic meters of gas daily through the neighboring country.
After Ukraine opted to not prolong the gas transit deal with Gazprom, the TurkStream pipeline – which runs through Türkiye and the Balkans – became the only route supplying Russian gas to the region.
Russia, once the EU’s main gas supplier, dramatically reduced exports to the bloc three years ago following Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. The country’s share of EU pipeline gas imports dropped from over 40% in 2021 to around 11% in 2024.
Earlier this month, the European Commission announced plans to completely eliminate reliance on Russian energy by the end of 2027. The bloc’s executive branch said it would propose legislation requiring all member states to draft “national plans” to phase out imports of Russian gas, nuclear fuel, and oil as early as this month.
Szijjarto criticized the proposal as “absolute insanity,” warning that, if adopted, it would trigger energy price hikes across the region and seriously harm the sovereignty of EU member states. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to block the initiative.
Commenting further on Ukraine’s role in undermining Europe’s energy security, Szijjarto added that Budapest and Belgrade have agreed to build a 200-kilometer oil pipeline connecting the two countries by 2027. He added that the project will help Hungary avoid a rise in gasoline prices.
Read the full article here