Hungary intends to comply with the European Union’s timetable for the gradual phase-out of Russian natural gas by the autumn of 2027, stated Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán (photo). This marks a clear shift from the previous Budapest government’s orientation towards energy imports from Russia.
The last gas purchases from Russia that the Budapest government will make are expected to take place in the summer of next year. Until then, Hungary should have other sources of gas supply, Minister Anita Orbán said in an interview with the Hungarian publication Telex, published on Tuesday.
When asked whether Hungary plans to maintain access to Russian gas as a backup option, Anita Orbán referred to the deadline set by the European Union. “The EU has set a clear deadline for the gradual phase-out of Russian natural gas, namely the autumn of 2027,” she said, according to Hromadske.
How Hungary Will Compensate for the Lack of Russian Gas
The statement marks a change from the policies of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government, which repeatedly defended Hungary’s dependence on energy supplies from Russia and opposed EU measures aimed at Moscow.
Hungary’s new government, led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, is cooperating with the United States and neighboring countries to expand alternative energy supply routes.
Orbán stated that Hungary might need broader access to liquefied natural gas via Croatia, Greece, Poland, and Lithuania, alongside improvements to regional pipeline infrastructure.
Hungarian energy company MOL is also preparing its refineries to process crude oil not originating from Russia, delivered through the Croatian JANAF pipeline.
The Brake Viktor Orbán Applied at the Request of Other States
In the same interview, Anita Orbán described sanctions as the EU’s main tool to increase the economic costs of Russia’s war against Ukraine. She specified that Hungary supported measures that put pressure on Moscow without harming Hungarian interests.
The minister also stated that the current government has stopped blocking EU-level decisions for reasons unrelated to Hungary’s national interests.
According to Anita Orbán, the previous government vetoed certain elements of an EU sanctions package at the request of third countries. She did not explicitly name these countries.
Nevertheless, Hungary continues to abstain from supplying weapons to Ukraine or allowing the transit of arms shipments through its territory.
Budapest’s priority remains ending the war and achieving a durable peace that stabilizes the region and enables Ukraine’s reconstruction, the Hungarian minister added.
T.D.