THE Ukrainian foreign ministry in Kyiv has said that they are ready to replace Hungary in the European Union. While Budapest recently blasted Ukraine for blocking natural gas transit from Russia to the European Union.
Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused the Zelensky government of unilaterally stopping the transit of Russian gas, which has sent prices soaring in the region.
Szijjarto said, “Ukraine was creating artificial methods to restrict gas flow to other nations.”
“If the Hungarian side prioritises strengthening of Russia instead of the EU and the US, it should openly admit it,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry asked in a statement.
“Ukraine will be ready to fill any vacant seat in the EU and NATO if Hungary decides to vacate it in favour of membership in the CIS or the CSTO.”
Both Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) and collective security treaty organisations are military alliances that currently include Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
In 2024, Ukraine decided to end its five-year transit contract with Russia’s Gazprom, cutting gas supplies to several EU member states from Russia, including Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and Moldova.
The move was initially meant to hamper the Russian economy, although this has backfired with prices in the region soaring to more than €50 per megawatt hour, a level unseen since October 2023.
Szijjarto added that the move by Ukraine undermines the EU’s competitiveness and disproportionately burdens citizens of the bloc.
The Hungarian FM lashed out at Ukraine, calling it a breach of the EU Association Agreement by stopping transit shipments.
Kyiv’s decision has also been slammed by Slovakia, which relies on Russian pipelines for about 60% of its energy needs. Last week, Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok characterised the move as a “betrayal of trust” and a threat to energy stability in the region.
Moscow was willing to prolong the transit contract and maintain gas shipments through Ukrainian territory beyond 2024,” Putin said in a recent statement.
He alleged that Kyiv was punishing EU member states with its decision, as the less supply means soaring prices.
Putin mockingly said that this disruption would have the least impact on the Russian economy and more on the EU.
