BUDAPEST, March 25. /TASS/. Hungary intends to increase its gas reserves using the volumes that will no longer be supplied in transit to Ukraine, as it seeks to pressure Kiev to end the oil blockade, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said while announcing the suspension of natural gas exports to Ukraine until it resumes the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline.

He noted that in recent weeks Ukraine had carried out attacks on infrastructure of the TurkStream gas pipeline on Russian territory, which is used to supply fuel to Hungary. "Since Ukraine is attacking the pipeline that supplies Hungary from the south, we need to build reserves. Therefore, instead of supplying Ukraine, we will now fill Hungarian gas storage facilities," Orban said in a video address broadcast by the M1 TV channel.

He added that the government had decided to take additional measures against Ukraine in order to break the oil blockade and ensure Hungary’s energy supply. "We will gradually stop gas supplies from Hungary to Ukraine and will store the remaining gas volumes inside the country. Until Ukraine begins supplying oil, it will not receive gas from Hungary," the prime minister stressed.

Russian oil has not been supplied to Hungary and Slovakia since January 27. Budapest believes the pipeline is operational and that Kiev is blocking supplies purely for political reasons. As a retaliatory measure, Hungary blocked EU funding for Ukraine. Budapest warned it would not approve a 90 bln euro EU loan for Ukraine and would not support any other Brussels decisions in Ukraine’s favor until transit of Russian oil resumes, Orban said at the EU summit on March 19.