Hungary Blames Ukraine for Energy Conflict

(MENAFN) Ukraine’s decision to halt pipeline gas transit through its territory has jeopardized energy security across Europe, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

He emphasized that Hungary has been able to maintain its gas supply only with assistance from Serbia.

Kiev declined to renew a five-year transit agreement with the Russian energy giant Gazprom at the conclusion of 2024.

This action effectively cut off several EU member countries—including Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and Moldova—from receiving natural gas supplies.

“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 stated in a video posted on Facebook on Saturday, highlighting how this development has placed the region in a precarious situation.

The Hungarian foreign minister added that Serbia is currently facilitating transit shipments to guarantee adequate energy provision for the area.

Hungary now receives more than 20 million cubic meters of gas daily via its neighboring country.

Following Ukraine’s refusal to extend the Gazprom transit contract, the TurkStream pipeline—which passes through Türkiye and the Balkans—became the sole channel for Russian gas deliveries to the region.

Once the EU’s primary gas supplier, Russia drastically cut its exports to the bloc three years ago in response to Western sanctions linked to the Ukraine conflict and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.

As a result, Russia’s share of EU pipeline gas imports plummeted from over 40 percent in 2021 to about 11 percent in 2024.

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