Budapest, Oct 16 : Russian natural gas deliveries to Hungary have reached a new record this year, exceeding 6 billion cubic metres so far, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a post on Facebook.

He said the volume amounts to more than 21 million cubic meters per day and is "critical for Hungary's energy security."

Szijjarto reiterated that while Hungary supports energy diversification through multiple sources and routes, it opposes shutting down "well-functioning and reliable supply lines."

The European Union is pushing ahead with a strategy to phase out its dependence on Russian energy. In June, the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal to gradually end imports of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027, reports Xinhua news agency.

Hungary and Slovakia have expressed strong reservations about the plan, warning that rapid cuts could endanger their energy security and economic stability.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, Norway aims to provide 2 billion Norwegian kroner (198 million US dollars) to a NATO-coordinated aid package for Ukraine, the Norwegian government has announced.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the Nordic country is joining a group of European countries to fund a package that will secure defence equipment for Ukraine, reports Xinhua news agency.

Several European countries are coordinating contributions under the new US-led initiative -- Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) -- a program through which NATO allies fund military assistance for Ukraine drawn directly from the US weapon stockpiles.

Norway has previously contributed 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner to an earlier PURL package.

The PURL initiative was officially launched on July 14 by US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. (1 Norwegian krone = 0.099 US dollar)

/IANS