Long reputed to be Russia-friendly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has often railed against the continuation of the EU sanctions, claiming that they impose an intolerable burden on the Hungarian economy and provide no solution for the carnage in Ukraine.

Ukraine is ready to consider the possibility of cooperating with European operators on gas transit to the EU, but it is the European Commission that must decide whether the European side needs such transit and whether it is ready to provide it.

The European Commission will continue talks with Ukraine on natural gas supplies to Europe and will include Hungary and Slovakia in these talks, according to a statement shared by an EU diplomat and seen by Reuters on Monday.

The ongoing conflict has highlighted the importance of diversifying gas supplies to build resilience against geopolitical risks

Václav Bartuška, the Czech Foreign Ministry's Special Envoy for Energy Security, explained this statement. "For the Czech Republic and Europe in general, this does not matter fundamentally," he said.