Peskov: Hungary could have received assurances from EU on gas transit talks

Budapest, which blocked the extension of anti-Russian sanctions, could have received assurances from Brussels on gas transit negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on January 28.

"We know that Hungary expressed a certain condition for the extension of the mentioned sanctions, and these conditions had to do with the position taken by the Kiev regime. Apparently, Hungary received some assurances from Brussels that some kind of negotiation process will be resumed," he said at a briefing.

In addition, the Kremlin official noted that Russia is interested in extending gas supplies to Europe because it is of commercial interest for the country.

"We are interested in selling our products, the more they are not just competitive compared to the same American liquefied gas, but they are much more profitable for European buyers," he emphasized.

Left in prolongation: why Hungary did not veto anti-Russian sanctions

EU foreign ministers discuss further pressure on Russia and relations with the US under Trump

The day before, on January 27, Brussels officially confirmed the extension of EU anti-Russian sanctions for another six months. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto said that Budapest had received from the European Commission the required guarantees of energy security, without which it refused to extend sanctions against Russia.

Formally, the term of the EU sanctions against Russia should have expired on January 31. At the same time, Hungary declared its readiness to block the extension of the restrictions if Budapest's conditions are not met: the resumption of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, as well as the cessation of the Ukrainian army's attacks on the Turkish Stream and a guarantee of continued oil supplies. The Kremlin was not surprised by the extension of sanctions.

On January 1, 2025, Russian energy company Gazprom announced the suspension of gas supplies through Ukraine due to Kiev's refusal to extend the relevant contract with the organization.

Western countries increased sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation after the start of the special operation to protect the peaceful population of Donbass, which was announced on February 24, 2022.