Budapest's foreign minister has said that Hungary would suffer if it was cut off from Russian energy. He also reiterated that the country would not accept outside pressure when it came to decisions on its energy supplies.
Peter Szijjarto said this while attending the Russian Energy Week forum in Moscow ahead of NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels to discuss military aid for Ukraine, underlining Budapest's differences with most other members of the alliance when it comes to dealing with Moscow.
Hungary has maintained its reliance on Russian energy since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, prompting criticism from several European Union and NATO allies.
Szijjarto told reporters in Moscow that national interest was paramount for Budapest when it came to energy supplies.
"We have never been let down (by Russia). The deliveries have always arrived... Contracts were always respected. And my question is only why we should cut this relationship," Szijjarto said.
Hungary has pushed back against plans by the European Commission to phase out the EU's imports of all Russian gas and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027, deepening a rift with Brussels over relations with Moscow.
Hungary signed a 15-year deal in 2021 with Russia to buy 4.5 billion cubic metres of gas annually, and increased purchases from Gazprom last year, importing some 7.5 billion cubic metres of Russian gas via the Turkstream pipeline.
The country also imports most of its crude from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Belarus and Ukraine to Hungary and also Slovakia. Croatian pipeline operator JANAF also transports crude oil to Hungarian energy group MOL's refineries.
"Brussels wants us to cut one of the two (pipelines) under the phenomenon of diversification," Szijjarto said.
"How can you consider having one pipeline rather than two safer? This is insane," he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last month he would urge Hungary to stop buying Russian oil, part of a push to pressure NATO allies to cut energy ties with Moscow over its war with Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said dropping Russian energy would be a disaster for Hungary's economy.
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Aghdam’s Qarabag experienced a 6–1 defeat to England’s Newcastle United in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie.
A platoon of Swedish Air Force Rangers is training in Greenland as part of the ongoing “Arctic Endurance” exercise, according to Sweden’s military.
Qarabağ FK are facing Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League play-off round on Wednesday evening in Baku, in what will be the first UEFA competition meeting between the two clubs.
Ruben Vardanyan has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Baku Military Court after being found guilty of a series of offences including war crimes, terrorism and crimes against humanity.
The Pentagon has threatened to designate artificial intelligence firm Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” amid a dispute over the military use of its Claude AI model, according to a report published Monday.
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed two people in 12 hours, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to meet in Geneva for a third round of trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year war, even as both sides intensify military pressure on the ground.
President Donald Trump said he will be involved “indirectly” in nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva, as both sides resume diplomacy against a backdrop of military pressure and deep mistrust.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday sought to highlight his outreach to Black Americans during a White House reception marking Black History Month, held months before November’s midterm elections.
Hungary and Slovakia announced a suspension of diesel exports to Ukraine on Wednesday.
A platoon of Swedish Air Force Rangers is training in Greenland as part of the ongoing “Arctic Endurance” exercise, according to Sweden’s military.
U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva ended after two days of negotiations that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as difficult, while signalling progress on the military track.
Millions of Muslims around the world have begun observing Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and the most sacred period in Islam.
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