Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said his country cannot give up Russian oil because it "has no other choice."
Points of attention
- Peter Szijjarto highlights Hungary's inability to give up Russian oil due to the lack of alternatives.
- Criticism is directed towards countries buying Russian oil through intermediaries, challenging the energy procurement practices.
- Hungary's cooperation with Russia for energy security is influenced by the European Union's lack of support in pipeline capacity enhancement.
Siyayrto complained about the inability to choose oil
At a press conference following a meeting of the Hungarian-Azerbaijani economic committee, Szijjártó was asked to comment on reports that US President Donald Trump had recently called on the EU to stop buying Russian oil.
Let us not be fooled by hypocrites, because a significant portion of those who most loudly criticize Hungary and Slovakia for purchasing oil also buy Russian oil, only indirectly, through certain Asian countries.
Peter Szijjarto
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary
According to the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, other countries secretly buy Russian oil because it is cheaper, while Hungary buys it as is because it simply has no other choice.
And the fact that Hungary cooperates with Russia on energy security issues is largely due to the fact that the European Union rejected our request for assistance in increasing the capacity of gas pipelines in Southeastern Europe.
And instead of increasing the capacity of the alternative gas pipeline leading to us, Croatia increased the transit fee for transportation five times compared to the European standard, he added.
During a call with European leaders on Thursday, Trump said Europe should stop buying Russian oil, which he said helps Moscow finance its war against Ukraine.
