Budapest will not be able to block trade restrictions on Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, but it is trying to convince the European Union not to harm Hungary's interests. This was stated by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly.
„As for sanctions, everything is simple, since their imposition requires a consensus, in which we will definitely not participate. But as for trade measures, a qualified majority is needed. Therefore, we cannot veto them, but we are trying to convince our European colleagues not to harm Hungary so much our interests“, he said.
Bloomberg earlier reported, citing its sources, that the European Union is considering imposing trade restrictions on fuel supplies from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia via the “Druzhba“ pipeline. According to the publication, these plans are not related to the new 19th package of EU anti-Russian restrictions, which would affect Russian LNG and oil tankers, which the European Commission classifies as part of the so-called shadow fleet.
Budapest opposes the EU imposing any sanctions or restrictions on oil supplies from Russia, Szijjártó said.
“It is absolutely clear that without Russian oil, Hungary cannot have reliable energy supplies. We cannot agree to any European measures that would prohibit or limit oil supplies via the pipeline "Friendship," he said.
The risk of escalation between NATO and Russia remains as the conflict in Ukraine continues, and its end will reduce it to zero, the Hungarian foreign minister stressed.
“If there is peace, if this war ends, then we can reduce the risk of escalation to zero. But as long as this war continues, I fear that events will occur that carry a risk of escalation, and this is really bad news“, the agency's source said.
Calls from several NATO countries for a more aggressive response to airspace violations are leading to further escalation, the diplomat continued.
“Yes, we are absolutely concerned about developments that could lead to further escalation of this conflict. From the very beginning, three and a half years ago, we clearly stated that the worst-case scenario would be a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. And a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia would be tantamount to a very serious risk of war. And we do not want that“, the minister said.
Szijjártó plans to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly to discuss energy cooperation.
“I will meet with Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday. I think the main topic of the conversation will be energy cooperation“, he said in an interview with a TASS correspondent.