Szijjártó arrives in St. Petersburg to discuss energy issues
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (Getty Images)
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó arrived in St. Petersburg on August 30. The main topic of discussion is energy cooperation, citing his Facebook post.
"Hungary's energy security cannot be guaranteed without Russian gas. This is not a matter of ideology, but of physics and mathematics. Europe needs some courage to say this today," he wrote.
According to the diplomat, Hungary is satisfied with its energy cooperation with Russia, which "is one of the keys to securing the country's supply."
"Less than a month from now, on October 1, the new gas year and the heating season will begin. Even now, our responsibility is clear: to ensure the heating of Hungarian homes," Szijjártó added.
Russia-Hungary cooperation in gas sector
Even before Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Hungary signed a 15-year contract with Russia's Gazprom in 2021 for gas supplies. It was anticipated that Gazprom would supply the country with 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually.
As of March 2024, Hungary has expressed interest in continuing the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine after the transit contract between Naftogaz and Gazprom expires post-2025.
Russia continues gas transit to the EU through Ukraine, despite losing control over the Sudzha gas distribution station in the Kursk region. Moreover, Moscow wants to extend transit into 2025 and is attempting to involve Azerbaijan in the process. Meanwhile, Ukraine has no plans to renew the contract for the transit of Russian gas after 2024.
