Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó in an interview with TASS statedHe said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured him that oil and gas supplies to Hungary would continue within the framework of the contracts.
According to Szijjártó, Hungary received 3.3 million tons of oil and 1.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia in 2023. The Hungarian diplomat pointed out the importance of receiving confirmation from his Russian counterpart regarding the continuation of supply. According to Szijjártó, this gives the Hungarian side confidence that the energy resources supplied to the republic are “reliable and protected”.
He said on September 6 that Hungary is dependent on oil and gas supplies from Russia and has no alternative at the moment.
Szijjártó emphasized that Hungary is dependent on Russian natural gas because it ensures the functioning of the country, and that it is unknown what will happen tomorrow if this natural gas is abandoned. The minister added that if the republic withdraws from the agreement with Russia on the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant, it will be difficult to renew this project while maintaining its cost and schedule. The diplomat also reminded that the Hungarian government was trying to diversify the sources and routes for fuel distribution, but these efforts were hampered by the lack of pipelines of the required capacity in the region. Szijjártó added that a similar situation has developed with the oil that Hungary receives from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline, which passes through Ukrainian territory, with 85% of its needs.
Previously European Union denied To the countries of Southeastern Europe for assistance with gas.