Hungary remained the European Union’s largest buyer of Russian pipeline gas in the first eight months of 2026, underscoring the continued role of Russian supply in parts of Central and Southeastern Europe despite EU efforts to phase out imports. EU countries spent about €4.1 billion on Russian natural gas over the period, broadly unchanged from a year earlier.
Purchases of Russian pipeline gas by Hungary were worth around €1.71 billion, despite a roughly 10% decline in physical import volumes. Bulgaria ranked second, with purchases of about €987 million, followed by Greece at approximately €850 million.
Gas diversification remains uneven across the EU
The figures reflect varying progress in diversifying gas supplies across the bloc. Several EU member states have substantially reduced their exposure to Russian gas since 2022, while parts of Central and Southeastern Europe continue to depend on pipeline deliveries.
That reliance is linked to infrastructure, contract structures and price considerations. Restrictions introduced during 2026 have already curtailed new short-term contracts for Russian LNG and spot purchases of Russian pipeline gas.
Further restrictions and potential price effects
The EU plans to prohibit Russian LNG imports from the start of 2027, followed by further restrictions on long-term pipeline contracts. An assessment estimated that eliminating the remaining Russian volumes could raise European gas prices by around 1%-2%, suggesting a relatively limited impact at the European level.
That estimate may mask larger effects in individual markets that depend heavily on particular supply routes. The analysis identified disruption to LNG shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and possible constraints on US LNG exports as potentially greater risks to European gas prices than the removal of remaining Russian volumes.
For Hungary, the challenge remains particularly significant: its gas system is still closely connected to Russian pipeline supply while EU policy is moving towards the eventual removal of that supply.
