Hungary and Bulgaria have discussed ways to ensure continued shipments of Russian gas after the US imposed sanctions on Gazprombank, Bloomberg reported.
On December 13, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that a “financial-legal solution” had been found for the issue, although he did not provide details or specifics about the solution in question.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian energy ministry said only that one option was being discussed involving Hungary, which would allow Bulgaria to continue receiving transit fees for Russian gas.
The US imposed sanctions on Gazprombank last month.
While much of Europe looks to wean itself off Russian energy by 2022, Hungary has doubled its imports.
Bulgaria, for its part, has warned that it could stop shipping Russian gas to Central Europe if Gazprom does not find a payment solution. US sanctions on Gazprombank have also affected Hungary's ability to pay for Russian gas.
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Szijjarto said Hungary and Russia were studying different payment options. On December 11, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which he discussed energy cooperation, including how to ensure continued gas exports to Hungary amid US sanctions.
