Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto expressed dissatisfaction with Ukraine's decision to stop the transit of Russian gas, hinting at the possibility of blocking its European integration.
Szijjarto reported this on Facebook.
Hungary's claims against Ukraine
According to Szijjarto, the reaction of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to his statement about the rise in gas prices in Europe after the end of Russian transit gas through Ukraine was “quite aggressive”.
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The minister noted that a bill has already been registered in the Ukrainian parliament, which proposes to ban the transit of Russian gas and oil for the duration of martial law.
– The reality is that in the EU, member states collectively and unanimously decide on the admission of new members. In other words, each member state must vote “for”, – Szijjártó said.
The minister also added that each EU country has the right to independently choose energy sources and supply routes. Szijjarto stressed that no one has the right to impose less favorable or more expensive alternatives on other countries.
– A country that enters into an association agreement with the EU or even wants to become a member is obliged to contribute to the EU's energy security by providing transport routes. Therefore, the closure of gas or oil routes is unacceptable and contradicts the expectations associated with integration into the EU, the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry emphasized.
Recall that on January 7, Peter Szijjarto accused Ukraine of raising gas prices in Europe, linking this to Kyiv's initiative to stop the transit of Russian gas through its territory. In response, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called these statements manipulative.
After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, most EU countries tried to reduce their dependence on Russian gas.
Hungary, on the contrary, continued to conclude new agreements with Russia. In particular, in October last year, Peter Szijjarto held talks with Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller, during which he agreed to increase imports of Russian gas to Hungary.
