“Energy security is a matter of national security! That’s why I’m going …” the Hungarian foreign minister wrote in an early morning Facebook post, ending the sentence a few hours later: “… to St. Petersburg.”
After his three-hour meeting with Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller — who has been sanctioned by the United States and United Kingdom for his role in supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine — Szijjártó wrote that Hungary’s energy security “cannot be guaranteed” without Russian gas.
“Hungary is satisfied with Russian energy cooperation,” he said, adding that “it takes some courage in Europe today to say that.”
Unlike other EU countries, Hungary has refused to voluntarily curb its imports of Russian gas over Vladimir Putin’s invasion against Ukraine. Last October, it struck new deals with the Kremlin fossil fuel giant to boost imports during the winter heating season.
