Szijjártó arrived in Moscow to negotiate oil and gas supplies for Hungary
On Wednesday, March 4, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó arrived in Moscow to ensure that his country would continue to receive oil and gas amid the global fuel crisis.
He announced this on Facebook, according to Censor.NET.
The reason for the visit to Russia is oil and gas.
Szijjártó complained that conflicts around the world, in particular the war in Ukraine and the US operation against Iran, threaten his country's energy security.
"I am here to ensure that the amount of oil and natural gas necessary for our country's energy supply will be delivered to Hungary, despite the changed circumstances and the global energy crisis, at the same price as before," said the Hungarian Foreign Minister.
Szijjártó criticized a number of countries which, in his opinion, are creating obstacles for the Hungarian energy sector. In particular, he accused Ukraine of allegedly blocking transit through the Druzhba oil pipeline, and Croatia of hindering purchases of Russian raw materials by sea.
"As a result of the war in Iran, all global maritime oil and gas supplies faced extraordinary challenges due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where a third of global oil trade takes place," the Hungarian diplomat said.
He also added that the size of Hungarians' utility bills will depend on Russian supplies.
"If energy supplies from Russia do not reach Hungary, then, unfortunately, we will also have to forget about reducing utility bills for households," said Szijjártó.
What preceded it
- On January 27, Russian occupation forces struck a critical infrastructure facility belonging to the Naftogaz group in western Ukraine. The target of the attack was likely Ukraine's largest oil pumping station, located in Brody, which supplies the southern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
- The prime ministers of Hungary and Slovakia, Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico, accused Ukraine of delaying the restoration of the oil pipeline due to "political motives," and on February 18, the authorities of these two countries announced the suspension of oil exports to Ukraine in response to Ukraine's halt of Russian oil transit.
- EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova appealed to the Office of the President of Ukraine with a request to grant permission to inspect the damaged Druzhba pipeline or to send other European diplomats there, but received a refusal in response.
