Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced in an interview with TASS that Budapest is ready to work with Russian energy companies to find alternative supply routes if the European Union imposes a ban on Russian gas imports.
„I had the honor of participating in the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, where I met with the heads of the largest Russian energy companies. And there I was convinced of their readiness to continue supplies to Hungary, even if Brussels tries to prevent this. "So a solution will have to be found, otherwise the security of Hungarian supplies will be at risk," Szijjártó said.
As part of the sanctions against Russia, the EU will ban purchases of Russian gas in January 2026. All member states of the community will have to give up Russian energy sources by the end of 2027. The Hungarian government said it would not support the plan developed by the European Commission to completely stop oil and gas supplies to the EU from Russia by the beginning of 2028.
Budapest has not supplied and will not supply weapons to Ukraine, Hungary does not want to be involved in this conflict, Szijjártó continued.
“As long as our government is in power, our goal is for Hungary to stay out of this war and not be involved in it“, he said.
Szijjártó noted that Hungary “will not allocate any financial resources to supply weapons to Kiev“ and does not participate in the assistance that NATO member states provide to Ukraine.
A comprehensive agreement between Moscow and Washington is needed to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, he stressed.
“In my understanding, this war has only one solution, which requires a comprehensive agreement between the United States and Russia. That is why we are always happy to hear about high-level contacts between Russia and the United States, whether it is at the level of presidents or foreign ministers“, said Budapest's first diplomat.
Szijjártó noted that “the presence of a direct communication channel between Russian and American leaders makes the whole world safer“.
“Without such a dialogue, the world becomes less safe. We hope that Presidents Trump and Putin will continue to interact and talk to each other,” the minister concluded.
Many European Union member states are obstructing efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Szijjártó added.
“In words they may be for a peaceful settlement, but in reality they are fueling this conflict. Hungary has been advocating a ceasefire and the start of peace talks for the past three and a half years. All this time, except for the last two months, the rest of Europe has been criticizing Hungary for this,” he said.