FM Szijjártó: Hungary and Russia are committed to maintaining energy cooperation

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Vladimir Putin have held extensive phone talks and both are in full agreement that everything must be done to maintain energy cooperation, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

Hungary’s energy security, the war in Ukraine, and developments in Syria were discussed during the talks lasting more than an hour. Szijjártó said the current US administration had made it hard for some central and south-east European countries, including Hungary, to make payments for natural gas and nuclear fuel by placing Gazprombank under sanctions.

Slovakia, Serbia and Turkey also face similar challenges, and consultations with these countries, too, were underway, he said. Szijjártó said Orbán and Putin had agreed that all avenues must be explored exhaustively “to eliminate this problem”. Putin made it clear that Russia is committed to maintaining energy cooperation and guaranteeing Hungary’s energy supply, he said, adding that there was nothing on either Hungary’s or Russia’s part to prevent a solution from being found.

He said a solution had already been found for fuel rods for Hungary’s nuclear power plant, and payment methods for the Paks expansion development, as well as for natural gas trade, were being worked out. Szijjártó noted that he had spoken with Alexei Likhachev, the chief executive of Rosatom, about speeding up the Paks project, and he would also hold a meeting with Alexander Novak, the Russian deputy PM in charge of energy affairs, in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, regarding Ukraine, the minister stressed the importance of keeping diplomatic and communication channels open in the current unprecedentedly dangerous period. Hungary, he added, has maintained its peace stance for a thousand days, and Orbán had spoken at length with Putin today on achieving a sustainable peace settlement.

Szijjártó said Putin had mentioned obstacles to peace such as the Ukrainian law that “essentially prohibits the current presidential administration from negotiating peace” with Putin. He noted that Orbán visited Florida this week to meet Donald Trump and also met the pope at the Vatican as part of efforts towards forging a peace settlement. “[We] will continue the Hungarian peace mission, seeking the fastest path to peace in order to save lives,” he said.

Regarding Syria and the Kremlin’s position, he said Putin had indicated an interest in ensuring stability and peace in the Middle East “so that extremist ideologies and political movements” cannot further undermine security there. Hungary, he added, was focused on the situation of Christian communities and would continue to provide them with the humanitarian support necessary.

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