Hungary Demands EU Action Against Ukraine as Russian Oil Spat Escalates
Budapest, Hungary – As the ongoing standoff between Russia and Ukraine over natural gas prices continues to escalate, Hungary is urging the European Union to take decisive action to protect its energy security.
Hungary, which relies heavily on Russian oil and gas imports, has been a vocal critic of Ukraine’s decision to increase the price of Russian gas transiting through its territory. The move has sparked a heated dispute between the two countries, with Russia threatening to halt gas supplies to Ukraine and potentially to other EU countries.
In response, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called on the EU to take immediate action to address the crisis. "The EU must take a clear and unified stance on this issue," Orbán said in a statement. "We cannot allow Ukraine to unilaterally increase the price of gas and put our energy security at risk."
Orbán’s government has also accused Ukraine of breaching the 2019 EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which aimed to deepen economic ties between the two sides. "Ukraine’s actions are a clear violation of the agreement and a threat to the stability of the European energy market," Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a separate statement.
The crisis has also sparked concerns about the impact on Hungary’s economy, with the country heavily reliant on Russian oil and gas imports. "The current situation is extremely worrying for us," said András Gál, head of the Hungarian Energy Association. "If Russia halts gas supplies, our energy security would be severely compromised, and our economy would suffer as a result."
The EU has thus far remained divided on the issue, with some member states siding with Ukraine and others with Hungary. The European Commission has called for a "cooling-off period" to allow for talks between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the dispute, but Hungary is pushing for more decisive action.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has accused Hungary of trying to " blackmail" it into reverting to the old gas price, and has vowed to continue to implement the new price regime. "We will not back down in the face of Hungarian pressure," Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in a statement.
The standoff has raised concerns about the future of energy relations between Russia and the EU, with some analysts warning of a potential repeat of the 2009 gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine, which left millions of Europeans without heating and hot water.
As the crisis continues to escalate, Hungary’s demand for EU action has become increasingly urgent. "We cannot afford to stand idly by while Ukraine’s actions put our energy security at risk," Orbán said. "The EU must take decisive action to protect its member states and ensure a stable energy market."