Hungary Calls Bulgaria Levy on Russia Gas Transit ‘Hostile Step’
- Hungary’s Orban, Russia’s Putin meet and discuss Bulgaria tax
- Transit fee aimed at Gazprom, not Hungary: Bulgaria Premier
Fuel and oil rail wagons at the Zeletsyno train station near Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Hungary pledged to retaliate against Bulgaria after the Balkan nation blindsided it with a tax on Russian gas transit, potentially threatening the viability of energy imports through a critical route.
The levy, which Bulgaria announced last week, came without warning and is considered by Hungary to be a “hostile step,” Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday. He said Hungary will work with Serbia, which also relies on the Balkan pipeline for natural gas, on a response.