BUDAPEST - The European Commission's plan to cut off Russian energy supplies by 2028 will deprive Hungary of almost all the gas currently consumed by industry and households, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said at an EU Energy Council meeting held in Luxembourg alongside the Foreign Affairs Council.

He said that, due to Ukraine's refusal to allow Russian gas to transit to Europe, the only pipeline through which Hungary receives gas is TurkStream. This year, 8-8.5 billion cubic metres of gas is expected to enter the country through it and a similar amount is expected next year.

"The European Commission's proposal could deny us access to 8.5 billion cubic meters, while Hungary's total annual consumption is approximately 9 billion cubic meters," said the minister, whose words were broadcast by the M1 channel.

Szijjártó warned that the Brussels initiative would deprive Hungary not only of gas but also of oil, which currently flows from Russia through the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline and from Croatian ports via the Adriatic pipeline. If Druzhba is banned, Hungary will be dependent on a pipeline that - as tests have shown - is unable to provide the necessary volumes of supply, the minister said, referring to the Croatian route. He added that since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, the operator of the Adriatic pipeline has set transit tariffs five times higher than European standards.

Earlier on Monday, the EU Council approved the European Commission's proposal to ban Russian gas purchases from 1 January 2028.

"This decision includes a ban on purchases of both pipeline and liquefied natural gas from Russia. It will be phased in gradually, with the full ban coming into force on 1 January 2028," said the Council statement. The European Parliament must approve the decision before it can enter into force.

The document contains a provision that prohibits new contracts from 1 January 2026. "Short-term contracts concluded before 17 June 2025 may continue until 17 June 2026, while long-term contracts may run until 1 January 2028," the text reads.

The European Parliament is pushing for an even stricter ban, demanding a halt to all Russian gas supplies to EU countries from 1 January 2027.

Hungary has previously expressed its intention to apply for an exemption from these requirements. The decision adopted by the EU Council states that "amendments to existing contracts will only be allowed for narrowly defined operational purposes and may not lead to increased volumes, except for some specific concessions for landlocked Member States affected by recent changes in supply routes".

TASS/gnews.cz- GH