Hungarian Foreign Minister complains about EU energy "coercion" at a conference in Moscow

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó noted that Russia had not let his country down, energy supplies from the Russian Federation were important for Budapest, and the European Commission's plans did not coincide with Hungary's. The official announced this information during a visit to Moscow on Wednesday, October 15, Reuters reports, according to UNN.

Details

Hungary will suffer if it is cut off from Russian energy supplies, said Péter Szijjártó, Budapest's foreign minister, during a session of the international forum "Russian Energy Week" in Moscow.

The official noted that "the Russian Federation has never let us down."

Supplies have always come... Contracts have always been honored. And my only question is why we should break these relations

Szijjártó told reporters in Russia that national interests are paramount for Budapest when it comes to energy supplies.

Reuters writes that Hungary opposed the European Commission's plans to gradually phase out all Russian gas and liquefied natural gas imports to the EU by the end of 2027.

Regarding the forum in the Russian Federation with the participation of the Hungarian Foreign Minister, it took place during the same period when NATO defense representatives met in Brussels to discuss military aid to Ukraine. The publication notes that these facts highlight Budapest's differences with most other alliance members on the issue of relations with Moscow.

Recall

The European Parliament considered accelerating the rejection of Russian oil and gas imports in early October. The idea involves stopping Russian oil imports from 2026 and gas from 2027.

The European Commission is investigating allegations of Hungarian espionage against European institutions. An international journalistic investigation uncovered a network of secret agents operating through Hungary's Permanent Representation to the EU.