BRUSSELS — Hungary should step up efforts to end purchases of Russian energy that are leaving the country open to malign influence from the Kremlin, Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said today.
“Even Hungary knows that by continuing this activity, they grant Russia the right to manipulate their market,” Simson said during POLITICO’s Sustainability Future Week summit, adding that it’s “not [in] their interest to continue this dependence.”
Russian gas export giant Gazprom announced last month that it would ramp up deliveries of natural gas to Hungary this winter following talks in Beijing between Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I know one political leader in Europe who is shaking hands with this war criminal, but that’s it,” Simson said in an oblique reference to the meeting.
The announcement was the second time Budapest and Moscow have agreed on additional gas volumes since Russia launched its full-scale assault on Ukraine.
Hungary’s approach contrasts sharply with efforts by the rest of the bloc, including nearby member states like Slovakia and Bulgaria, to phase out Russian energy imports by 2027. In total, the EU has slashed its reliance on Russian pipeline gas from over 40 percent of its gas imports before Moscow’s invasion to less than 10 percent today.
“Our clear request to them is that like other member states, who are still using Russian technology, that nuclear fleet, they have to prepare a plan how to diversify,” Simson said.
At the same time, the energy commissioner said it was regrettable that Hungary is proceeding with construction on the Paks II nuclear reactor, which depends on support and nuclear fuel from Russia. Budapest has vowed to oppose any sanctions that would impact atomic energy.
The EU is currently working on its 12th package of sanctions to be imposed on Russia since the start of its war against Ukraine last year. While the package is not expected to include any significant restrictions on buying Russian liquified natural gas — despite calls from several EU countries — Simson said, “the very moment that together with Hungary we will have unanimity, then we will have this collective position.”
