© Thierry Monasse/Getty ImagesRaising the flag of Ukraine
Earlier this week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused Kiev of creating 'artificially reduced supply', emphasizing that its unilateral decision to stop the transit of Russian gas, coupled with EU sanctions, had sent prices soaring.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, in a statement, said:
"If the Hungarian side prioritizes strengthening of Russia instead of the EU and the US, it should openly admit it. Ukraine will be ready to fill any vacant seat in the EU and NATO, if Hungary decides to vacate it in favor of membership in the CIS* or the CSTO."Ukraine chose not to prolong a five-year transit contract with Russia's Gazprom at the end of 2024, cutting off several EU member states from Russian gas supplies, including Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, and Moldova. The halt immediately sent prices in the region soaring to more than €50 per megawatt hour, a level unseen since October 2023.
Hungary's Szijjarto stated that the higher prices undermine the EU's competitiveness and disproportionately burden citizens of the bloc. The minister further alleged that Ukraine had breached its EU Association Agreement by halting transit shipments.
Kiev'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 characterized the move as a "betrayal of trust" and a threat to energy stability in the region.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this month that the US was the only beneficiary of the situation, charging that Washington is the "main sponsor of the Ukrainian crisis."
Moscow was willing to prolong the transit contract and maintain gas shipments through Ukrainian territory beyond 2024. President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of "punishing" EU member states with its decision, predicting that it would result in higher energy prices. During his annual press conference on December 19, he said the halt would have minimal impact on Russia, however.
* The CIS, short for the Commonwealth of Independent States, is a bloc uniting several post-Soviet countries. The CSTO, or Collective Security Treaty Organization, is a military alliance that currently includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Reader Comments
At least both, EU and Ukraine, have something in common - they are about to die and disappear.
Meanwhile, strange things happen in other "critical" EU countries : [Link] Nowhere the article, referring to the German "Tagesschau", really mentions the threat to defend it against. But considering the recent collapse of the government, coming snap election, and discussions about banning the most likely winner of even outright cancel the election make it clear :
Our elected and unelected overlords expect social unrest, riots and civil war in EU core countries this year.