Orban has devised a new tactic to pressure Ukraine into resuming the transit of Russian gas to Hungary.

If Ukraine does not agree to resume the transit of Russian gas to Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban claims he will once again block the extension of anti-Russian sanctions.

Source. This was reported by Bloomberg.

The European Union continues to impose sanctions against Russia every six months. Each time, the voting must be unanimous, which Orban takes advantage of.

The next vote will take place on January 31. This time, Orban has urged the EU to pressure Kyiv to resume gas transit. In this case, he stated he would agree to the expansion of sanctions against Moscow.

The EU is considering his demand, Orban said on state radio on Friday, noting that because of this, he has “hit the emergency brake” regarding the continuation of sanctions.

“If Ukraine wants our help, such as sanctions against Russia, then please reopen the gas route,” he said, adding that this could be achieved with “one phone call from Brussels.”

In December, the Hungarian Prime Minister had already surprised other European leaders by warning that he was not ready to renew sanctions as he awaited Trump’s inauguration.

If Trump decides to ease sanctions, then he, Orban, will insist that the EU also follows Washington's lead.

Meanwhile, as Bloomberg reports, Budapest is shocked by Trump’s unexpected statement about his readiness to increase pressure on the Kremlin to force it to end the war using “high taxes, tariffs, and sanctions.”

On Thursday, Trump, speaking via video link at the World Economic Forum in Davos, again criticized Putin, stating that by increasing production in the U.S. and with the help of Saudi Arabia, he would lower oil prices so that “Russia would immediately stop the war with Ukraine.”

Following Trump’s statements, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced that the government would “consult with our American partners” before EU foreign ministers gather on Monday to discuss sanctions. The position of the new U.S. administration “cannot be ignored,” he added.

In response, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in Davos:

“I hope the Hungarian government has understood the message from the U.S. President – and then we will adopt sanctions. After that, we will have another package, and yes, we will need to close loopholes in the existing ones.”

The European Union, under the new presidency of Poland (starting January 1), has begun preparing the 16th sanctions package.

Background. Meanwhile, FT reported that the EU has found a way to approve sanctions against Russia if Hungary blocks them – Brussels could utilize the Belgian “royal decree” from 1944 in such a situation.