Hungary will not agree to a price cap on imported gas because it would cut off supplies from Russia, a senior aide to Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, adding that if the EU decided to limit prices, it would have to make an exception for Hungary, as it did for oil.

European Union leaders are discussing the idea of limiting the price of imported gas, including Russian gas, with at least 15 countries pushing for such a price cap to curb energy prices and consumer inflation.

But several EU countries, including Germany, are skeptical, fearing that a price cap would distort market price signals and lead to increased consumption. It could also jeopardize security of supply because sellers might not agree to supply at the price set by the EU cartel.

"It will simply not work. The outcome will be that we will have less gas in Europe, at a higher price, contradicting the original purpose," Balazs Orban, political director of the Hungarian prime minister, told Reuters. "For Hungary this is not acceptable because the Russians already said very clearly that if it happens they will not send any more gas to Hungary, which from an energy security perspective would be unacceptable to us," he said. "So if the European Union makes a decision that they want to have a price cap, there would have to be a special model or exception for Hungary, like what happened with oil," Orban said.