Hungary prolonged its blockage of the renewal of sanctions against Russia as Prime Minister Viktor Orban called on the European Union to pressure Ukraine to re-establish the transit of Russian gas to Europe.

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 Orbán on Friday said he wants the European Union to intervene in a gas dispute his country has with Ukraine, a potential sign of friction in the bloc's upcoming discussions over renewing sanctions against Russia.

Police in Hungary say they are investigating bomb threats that were sent to more than 240 schools across the country, resulting in classes being cancelled at some schools.

Hundreds of schools in Hungary received bomb threats in the morning hours of January 23, disrupting education. Police later confirmed that no explosives were found. IT security experts said the bomb threats were traced to emails sent through the Russian Yandex platform,