Hungary: We Do Not Plan to Stop Buying Gas from Russia

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto indicated on Thursday that "his country is satisfied with its cooperation with Russia regarding gas supplies and does not plan to stop purchasing gas from Moscow, despite international pressures urging Budapest to do so." Szijjarto, who is visiting St. Petersburg, Russia, to participate in an economic forum, told reporters that Hungary obtaining the necessary gas is a "material issue" unrelated to political or ideological motives. While Western European countries are making significant efforts to abandon Russian gas, landlocked Hungary receives 4.5 billion metric tons of gas annually from Russia under a 15-year agreement signed in 2021. The gas is mainly transported through the TurkStream pipeline, which allows Moscow to access Southern Europe without passing through Ukraine.