Foreign Affairs Minister in Moscow With a Focus on Energy Security

The US-Russian agreement clearly stated the prohibition of attacks on energy infrastructure targeting Hungary, which is in line with our country’s national interests, as this significantly reduced the risks to security of supply, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Moscow on Wednesday.

The minister held talks with the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Alexander Novak, First Deputy Prime Minister, Denis Manturov, advisor to the President of Russia, Yury Ushakov, and Minister of Sport, Mikhail Degtyarev. He said that

from the Hungarian perspective, the most important question now is when the war in Ukraine will end and when peace will return to Central Europe.

“The US-Russian peace talks are going well, and both the American and Russian sides are approaching the talks with mutual goodwill. It is clear that both the Russians and the Americans are interested in the peace talks being successful as soon as possible,” he said.

Péter Szijjártó stated that the recent peace negotiations align with Hungary’s national interests, as they include an agreement not to target energy infrastructure. He emphasized the importance of this commitment, given Hungary’s reliance on Russian oil and natural gas. Szijjártó stated that

Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure in recent months have led to temporary disruptions in Hungary’s oil supply.

He highlighted that the agreement helps protect Hungary’s energy security by preventing further interruptions. He called the 30-day ban on attacks against energy infrastructure a positive development, noting that the agreement could potentially be extended in the future. He also welcomed the creation of a five-point list detailing the infrastructure that will not be targeted, which includes the oil and natural gas pipelines connecting Russia and Hungary.

This Russian-American partial agreement brought us good news. A ban on attacks on energy infrastructure targeting Hungary has been declared, thus significantly reducing the threat to Hungary’s energy security,”

he emphasized. “We hope that the peace negotiations will be successful. In any case, today I was convinced that Russia is also interested in the success of these negotiations, so there is more hope than ever in that a lasting, long-term sustainable ceasefire or peace agreement can be established here,” he continued.

Péter Szijjártó also mentioned that

an agreement was reached on enhancing Hungarian-Russian cooperation, which is in the clear interest of our country, since the country’s energy security depends largely on Moscow.

In support of this, he pointed out that a record amount of natural gas arrived from Russia to Hungary last year, and this year the amount arriving is over twenty million cubic meters per day. He also mentioned that crude oil imports have already exceeded 1.25 million tons this year. He then said that his negotiating partners assured him that Russia would continue to fulfill all its obligations regarding supplies to Hungary, so that energy supplies would remain secure.

Finally, the minister underlined that the two countries would also strengthen their economic cooperation in areas not affected by sanctions, such as in agriculture and the pharmaceutical industry, where Hungarian companies will be able to play an even greater role in the Russian market than before. He also stated that they welcomed the fact that the Hungarian oil company, MOL was conducting highly successful extraction operations in Russia, providing a strong foundation for the company to expand its market presence in the future.

Via MTI; Featured picture: Szijjártó Péter Facebook