BUDAPEST, January 31. /TASS/. The European Commission has promised Hungary it will work to resume Ukraine’s transit of Russian gas, which Kiev terminated on January 1, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on the Kossuth radio station.
At the beginning of this week, Hungary received energy security guarantees from the European Union in exchange for agreeing to extend anti-Russia sanctions for another six months, he noted. "In particular, the European Commission promised to ensure that Ukraine will restart the pumping of gas from Russia through its territory," the premier said.
Moreover, Hungary has demanded the continuation of Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline, as well as assurances that the safety of the TurkStream gas pipeline, which supplies Russian gas to Central and Eastern European countries, will not be compromised. Orban believes that the Ukrainian authorities should honor these commitments, as Kiev depends on the European Union’s military, financial, and economic support.
"We should simply say: Dear Ukrainian friends, we understand everything, but we need to make sure that you allow Russian gas to flow. How can you get closer to the European Union if you are trying to deceive Central European countries? Stop it," the prime minister said.
After the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on January 27, the European Commission stated that it would hold talks with Ukraine on these issues, with Slovakia and Hungary also participating. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto warned that Budapest would not tolerate delays in these talks and would closely monitor whether Brussels fulfills its promises.