“Several worrying decisions have been made in our neighborhood that pose challenges to the security of our energy supplies,” Szijjártó said following talks on Jan. 25 with Turkish energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar. These have subsequently made TurkStream the most important pipeline in terms of Hungary’s gas supply, he said.
“Deliveries are currently uninterrupted, but so are physical, political and financial attacks against the pipeline,” Szijjártó added before concluding that he and Bayraktar had agreed that “the attacks against TurkStream are outrageous and unacceptable. We must protect TurkStream at all costs!”
Following talks on Jan. 23 with Alexander Novak, Russia’s deputy PM in charge of energy affairs, Szijjártó said the government could guarantee Hungary’s continued energy security even after Ukrainian restrictions of gas deliveries.
“Crude and natural gas deliveries to Hungary are flowing continuously,” and in record volumes through the TurkStream pipeline, he noted. “So, we have reinforced our commitment to protecting that transit route,” he added, emphasizing that Hungary’s energy was secure.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke with public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió on Jan. 24 about Ukraine’s decision to halt the transit of Russian gas through its territory. The PM said that “though the Ukrainians want to mess with us,” Hungary was able to defend itself by receiving gas via a southern route.
Orbán pointed out that Brussels was considering extending its sanctions on Russia, “and I pulled the brakes and asked the European leaders to understand that this can’t continue,” he said. According to the PM, the sanctions imposed on Russia have cost Hungary EUR 19 billion, or HUF 7.5 trillion, over the last three years. “Hungary can’t be made to pay the price of the sanctions in such a proportion.”
Consequently, Szijjártó said that Hungary’s vote at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels to decide on the renewal of sanctions against Russia on Jan. 27 would depend on whether the European Commission would provide guarantees to ensure Hungary’s energy security.
These conditions included protecting Hungary against measures that risked further undermining its energy security, to protect the TurkStream gas pipeline, continued Ukrainian oil transit to Europe, and convincing Ukraine to restart gas deliveries, according to a statement from Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Having received these guarantees, Szijjártó said that Hungary’s government decided against vetoing the renewal of European Union sanctions against Russia. Slovakia also welcomed the EC’s decision, adding that gas transit talks with Ukraine could reopen possibilities for shipping gas from Azerbaijan as an alternative.
Russia also expressed interest in resuming gas transit through Ukraine, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “If there are buyers—this is commerce—Russia is interested in continuing this commerce,” he said. “Our products are not only more competitive than American liquefied gas but also far more advantageous for European buyers.”
Yet, others felt that Hungary had conceded by putting faith in the EC’s statements. Opposition Tisza Party leader Péter Magyar said that instead of vetoing the extension of EU sanctions against Russia, the government “bravely ran away.”
Having attended meetings in Brussels for seven years, “a council statement [such as those guaranteeing Hungary’s energy security] is worth as much as a […] coffee in the Brussels cafeteria: nothing,” Magyar quipped.
Meanwhile, others believe a third party may have had more to do with Hungary’s decision not to veto the renewal of sanctions than the EC’s guarantees. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski believes Budapest altered its position after U.S. President Donald Trump labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin an aggressor and threatened Moscow with sanctions unless it engaged in peace talks, which had marked Trump’s first definitive statement on Russia’s war against Ukraine. “I think President Trump has helped here,” Sikorski remarked.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of February 7, 2025.
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