Hungary's Russian gas purchases decline, still lead EU rankings

Hungary remained the European Union's largest importer of Russian pipeline gas during the first five months of 2026, despite reducing its purchases by 14% in value terms compared with the same period a year earlier, Eurostat data confirmed.

The figures show that the EU imported €575 million worth of Russian pipeline gas in May, with the TurkStream pipeline remaining the only operational route for Russian gas deliveries to Europe, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Hungary led EU imports during the month, purchasing €204 million worth of Russian gas. Greece followed with €129 million, while Bulgaria imported €122 million. Slovakia also remained a significant buyer, purchasing €121 million worth of Russian pipeline gas.

From January through May, the European Union spent a total of €2.4 billion on Russian pipeline gas, down from €2.8 billion during the corresponding period in 2025.

Despite its year-on-year decline in purchases, Hungary remained the bloc's largest customer, importing €1.1 billion worth of Russian gas over the five-month period. Bulgaria ranked second with €561 million, followed by Greece with €472 million.

Earlier, TASS reported that Russia's pipeline gas exports to Europe via TurkStream rose 6.5% year-on-year in the January–May period, reaching 7.65 billion cubic metres, underscoring the pipeline's growing importance as Russia's sole remaining direct gas supply route to the European market.

By Vafa Guliyeva