Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the European Union had agreed to provide Hungary with “requested guarantees” concerning its “energy security” apprehensions, namely the transportation of fossil fuels to EU member nations.
“The European Commission is committed to protecting natural gas and oil pipelines leading to European Union member states,”
Peter Szijjarto said, adding that the European Commission will also ask Ukraine to preserve the oil transit through its territory.
“They made it clear that the integrity of the energy infrastructure supplying EU member states is a matter of security for the entire EU.”
The announcement comes after it was reported that EU ambassadors are expected to give a statement regarding Hungary’s “energy security” concerns to persuade Budapest to drop its veto on the continuation of the EU’s sanctions on Russia.
Why did Hungary initially threaten to veto Russian sanctions?
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to veto the extension until Ukraine resumes the transit of Russian gas through its territory. The end of transit led to a spat between Kyiv on one side and Hungary and Slovakia on the other, with the two latter countries complaining the decision endangers their energy security.
Hungary has stepped back from its previous threat of veto and has let the renewal of European Union sanctions against Russia be extended for another six months. This was agreed upon on January 27, 2025, at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had delayed the extension initially, demanding Ukraine to reopen a gas transit pipeline that had been closed since January 1, 2025, in exchange for his support.
What were the concerns of Hungary?
Hungary’s major concerns include energy security, given the fact that it depends heavily on Russian fossil fuels and the geopolitical impact of the war in Ukraine. The Hungarian government has voiced anxiety about the transit of Russian oil and gas through Ukraine, which it says endangers its supplies of energy.
The Ukrainian move to prevent Russian Lukoil’s crude oil transit has further risked Hungarian energy security. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó claimed that any breach in energy supply is a question of national security.
