**Hungary Accuses Ukraine of Hurting Europe’s Economy**
Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, has criticized Ukraine for halting Russian gas transit through its territory. This move has led to a 20% rise in natural gas prices on the European market.
Ukraine stopped the agreement with Russia on January 1, citing its refusal to finance Russia’s war. The EU has been trying to reduce reliance on Russian fossil fuels, but countries like Hungary and Slovakia still depend on Russian gas.
Szijjarto said Ukraine’s actions put Europe in a difficult position, especially Central Europe. He claimed that although Ukraine is trying to join the EU, it has once again hurt the European economy.
Hungary says it will not be significantly affected by rising prices. The country imports approximately 4.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas every year under a 15-year agreement signed in 2021.
Szijjarto met with Slovakia’s Foreign Minister to discuss the situation and emphasized that Ukraine must uphold its EU association agreement, which includes commitments to maintain energy transportation routes.
The meeting between Slovak, Ukrainian, and European Commission representatives was canceled. While Slovakia claimed Ukraine refused to participate, Kyiv refuted the claim, saying Ukraine’s energy minister had to stay in Ukraine due to a difficult situation in the energy sector.
The European Commission is working to reschedule the talks and has said that the EU energy market remains stable despite the transit halt.
Hungary has been seen as one of the most Moscow-friendly member states. Szijjarto has continued to visit Russia throughout the war, setting Hungary apart from other EU nations.