Liudmyla Zhernovska18:11, 23.05.25

He wants to receive compensation from the EU.

Everything possible must be done to prevent the implementation of the European Union’s plan to ban the import of Russian energy resources .

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said this in an interview with Hungarian radio. As Reuters reports , the European Commission intends to propose legal measures to gradually stop imports of all Russian gas and liquefied natural gas into the EU by the end of 2027:

“We must try to stop this Ukrainian push for a complete ban on Russian gas in Europe. We must prevent this by any means. Because there is no point in having a pipeline if we are not allowed to transport gas through it.”

Orban says Budapest will be “open to negotiations” only if the European Union compensates Hungary for the costs involved. The European Commission’s proposal would require majority support, so Hungary and Slovakia would not be able to block it, although their disagreement could complicate a decision.

Hungary receives most of its gas through the TurkStream pipeline, which runs under the Black Sea to Turkey and then to Southeast Europe. In the first quarter of this year, supplies through its European branch increased by 16% compared to the same period in 2023, reaching about 4.5 billion cubic meters.

Ban on Russian gas imports

As is known, the initiative being prepared by the European Commission envisages the introduction of legal mechanisms for the gradual abandonment of energy purchases from the aggressor country, which has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine since 2022.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has already reduced its dependence on Russian energy resources – pipeline gas imports have fallen sharply, but LNG supplies from Russia still remain . The new plan aims to finally close this gap in sanctions policy.

The Commission’s proposal will only require a qualified majority in the Council of the EU, making it impossible for individual states to block the decision.

Thus, the EU continues to increase pressure on Moscow, trying to deprive it of a key source of war financing – energy exports.

(c)UNIAN 2025