Orban threatens to veto Russia sanctions over gas transit: Bloomberg
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Orban has threatened to veto EU sanctions unless Ukraine resumes gas transit, however, his position softened following an EU guarantee.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during his annual international press conference in Budapest, Hungary, on December 21, 2024. (AP)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reiterated on Friday that he would veto European Union sanctions against Russia in six months unless Ukraine resumes the transit of Russian gas by then, according to a Bloomberg report.
However, in an interview for state radio, Orban revealed that Hungary received a guarantee from the EU's executive arm this week regarding the resumption of gas transit via Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, this led his government to retract its opposition to extending sanctions against Moscow, which requires unanimous consent from all 27 EU member states.
Orban said, “If the pledge is broken, then not only will we propose ending sanctions but we will end them."
Earlier this week, Orban called on the European Union on January 24 to persuade Ukraine to resume gas transit from Russia to Europe, signaling a potentially contentious debate as the EU prepares to extend sanctions against Moscow in the coming week.
Hungary has yet to decide whether to support the renewal of sanctions, which is scheduled for the end of this month. The EU renews sanctions every six months, requiring unanimous approval from all 27 member states.
Orban, whose government has maintained closer ties with Moscow than most EU countries, reiterated his criticism of the sanctions, claiming they have caused financial losses of €19 billion ($19.9 billion) to Hungary.
He told state radio: "Now the issue of the rollover of the sanctions is on the agenda and I have pulled the brakes and asked EU leaders to understand this cannot continue."
"This is not good that we pay the price of helping Ukraine ... and they cause us problems," he underlined, referencing Ukraine’s recent decision to halt Russian gas flows to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline.
"We ask them to convince Ukraine to resume the gas transit," Orban added, noting that Budapest also seeks assurances that Ukraine will not block imports of Russian crude oil.
