Hungary extended the agreement with Russia on additional gas supply.
Peter Szijjarto, the head of Hungary’s foreign ministry, revealed that Budapest had extended the agreement with Russia on extra gas deliveries as a consequence of talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Novak during his visit to Moscow.
Sijarto emphasized that since Russia supplies 85% of Hungary’s natural gas, ensuring its reliability is crucial.
The conversations covered the topic of compensation for the transportation of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia to Europe via Ukraine, according to the chairman of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry. Hungary will now make direct payments to Ukraine, whose country the oil pipeline passes through. MOL will cover the cost.
Hungary is increasingly dependent on the Russian Federation for energy
Szijarto also met with Oleksiy Likhachev, the leader of the Russian state-owned company “Rosatom,” to discuss the development of the Paksh-2 nuclear power facility in Hungary. To prevent project-related activities from being subject to Western sanctions, the parties decided to modify the documents.
Szijarto said towards the conclusion of the previous summer that Hungary and Gazprom had agreed to an increase in gas deliveries of roughly 6 million cubic meters per day beginning in September as opposed to 2.5 million cubic meters in August.
On March 12, the US ambassador to Hungary will make a statement
Washington is anticipated to increase pressure on the Orban administration to reverse course on its pro-Russian position and animosity toward the US and may be considering sanctioning powerful Hungarian individuals.
Six Hungarians were denied entry to the US in October 2014 as a result of an Obama administration effort to put pressure on Budapest to change measures that endangered democratic norms. Only Ildiko Vida, the previous head of the tax authority, admitted being one of the six people involved.
The US and Hungary have never had worse relations. At a confidential caucus meeting in February, Prime Minister Viktor Orban categorically referred to the Biden administration as an enemy. The Hungarian prime minister referred to major opposition figures and foreign speculators as “bureaucrats in Brussels” when referring to pro-war international interest groups in Washington. Orban’s remarks were mentioned in the stolen Pentagon documents, which were created by the CIA, even though this was open-source data.
Hungary’s demining European unity
Hungary has threatened to deny financial help to Ukraine, refused to supply weaponry, and attempted to convene a ministerial-level meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. Orban has frequently claimed that Hungary is being pressured by outside sources to “be drawn into the war,” and he has reiterated a claim often linked to the Russian propaganda that arming Ukraine could worsen the situation. The authoritarian leader of Hungary and its media have raised the possibility of a third world war while blaming Western partners and minimizing condemnation of Russia.
While Viktor Orban accepted the sanctions against Russia, a Western diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that there is a growing perception in Washington that the administration is playing with fire.
Budapest is being pushed to gradually wean itself off of Russian energy sources. The government has previously criticized such proposals for intruding on matters of national sovereignty.
