Hungary said that paying for gas in rubles does not violate sanctions The

European Union has not yet made general purchases of gas and oilfor European countries, so that Budapest will continue to adhere to the contracts concluded with RUSSIA. This will not mean circumvention of the sanctions policy,

Payments for Russian gas in rubles do not violate European sanctions , since Budapest and Moscow have signed a bilateral contract. This was stated by the representative of the Hungarian Cabinet of Ministers Zoltan Kovacs in an interview with CNN.

“The European Union does not yet have common purchases of gas and oil for European countries. We continue to adhere to our oil and gas contracts with Russia. According to them, it is a technical question in which currency to pay. This does not mean circumvention of any sanctions policy. As we well know, the Hungarian economy and the Hungarian population depend on Russian gas by 85%,” Kovacs said.

Earlier, the HEAD of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Hungary's payment for Russian gas in rubles would be considered a violation of Western sanctions. She noted that before Hungary had always adhered to European sanctions, so as long as Budapest did not pay in rubles, "everything is in order."

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On March 31, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that unfriendly countries would have to pay for Russian gas in rubles. Hungary is also included in this list. She, like other foreign buyers, needs to open two accounts - currency and ruble - in Gazprombank. They will transfer payment in foreign currency to the appropriate account, after which the bank will buy rubles on it on the Moscow Exchange and credit the received funds to the buyer's ruble account as payment for deliveries.

On April 7, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban allowed Russian gas to be paid in rubles. According to him, such a scenario is possible if a corresponding request is received from Moscow, REUTERS reported. Later, Russian Ambassador to Hungary Yevgeny Stanislavov said that the Hungarian energy company MVM and Gazprom were negotiating the transfer of gas payments in rubles.

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The agreement itself on the supply of Russian gas to Hungary between MVM and Gazprom was signed on September 27, 2021. The contract was concluded for 15 years, that is, until 2036. According to the agreement, up to 4.5 billion cubic meters should be supplied to Hungary. m of gas annually. Moreover, Hungary buys Russian gas five times cheaper than the market price in Europe, Putin said in early February.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called Budapest's position on gas unfriendly. “Such statements also contradict the consolidated position of the European Union, which has fundamentally refused to satisfy the Russian whim,” the department said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Orban back in early March opposed the imposition of sanctions against Russian oil and gas. In his opinion, such a move would be a heavy burden for Hungary, since 90% of the houses are heated with gas, which is mainly purchased from Moscow.

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