Hungary to continue importing Russian oil, gas

(MENAFN) Hungary has confirmed it will keep importing oil and gas from Russia, rejecting pressure from both Washington and Brussels to sever ties with Moscow, according to reports.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto made the remarks in an interview published Tuesday, alongside the UN General Assembly in New York. He emphasized that, for landlocked Hungary, energy security is largely dictated by existing infrastructure—pipelines, refineries, and current contracts—which restrict the country’s options for sourcing energy.

“We can’t ensure the safe supply for our country without Russian oil or gas sources,” Szijjarto stated. “It can be nice to dream about buying oil and gas from somewhere else … but we can only buy from where we have infrastructure.”

In recent weeks, the United States has been urging its European NATO partners to stop purchasing Russian energy and to impose secondary tariffs on India and China, while avoiding unilateral sanctions. President Donald Trump mocked NATO countries in his UN General Assembly speech, claiming that “some in NATO are funding the war against themselves.”

Hungary’s state-owned MOL Group imports roughly five million tonnes of crude annually through the Druzhba pipeline, which also supplies Slovakia. The route has faced recent disruptions, as Ukrainian forces targeted pumping stations and other facilities along the pipeline, temporarily affecting shipments.

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