Hungary wants the European Union to persuade Ukraine to resume gas transit from Russia to Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday, signalling a tough debate as the EU seeks to extend its sanctions against Russia over the coming week.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called on the European Union to pressure Ukraine to re-establish the transit of Russian gas to Europe and linked the issue to extending sanctions against Moscow.

Ukrainian diplomacy on Wednesday, threatening Moscow with sanctions and calling on President Vladimir Putin to make a deal for the sake of his economy.

In a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose " high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions" on Russia if President Vladimir Putin doesn't make a deal to end his war in Ukraine.

The fate of the European Union’s sanctions against Russia were thrown into limbo after a top Hungarian official called for a “debate” and signaled their renewal by the end of the month shouldn’t be automatic.