Hungary has received guarantees from Russia for oil and gas supplies at fixed prices, despite the difficult situation on global energy markets due to the conflict in the Middle East. This was announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjarto after his visit to Moscow and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
„The good news is that we have a guarantee for oil and natural gas supplies to Hungary, despite the international crisis on the energy market. We have been given a guarantee that Russia will supply us at the same prices, despite the ongoing war in Iran. This will ensure not only the security of Hungary's energy supply, but also low utility bills,“ Szijjártó said in a video address broadcast by the M1 television channel.
He also noted that Hungary and Russia have agreed to use alternative energy supply routes if necessary.
Szijjártó believes that “due to the war in Iran and its consequences, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, there could be a sharp rise in prices on both the natural gas and oil markets in Europe and globally“. Under these circumstances, stable supplies from Russia in accordance with existing contracts are crucial for Hungary's energy security, the minister stressed.
Russian oil has not been supplied via the “Družba“ pipeline since January 27. Budapest and Bratislava are convinced that Kiev is blocking the transit for political reasons.
On February 15, Hungary and Slovakia asked Croatia to allow the supply of Russian crude oil through the Adriatic pipeline. It is expected to be delivered to the Croatian port of Omišalj by sea. The Hungarian government also decided to provide MOL with 250,000 tons of oil from its strategic reserves for its refinery. These supplies will last for three months.