"We are not abandoning our plans to receive energy through Ukraine, and we are holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine. We will continue to negotiate next year as well. We want to pull off such a trick: what if the gas entering Ukraine was no longer considered Russian, but would be owned by the buyer? In other words, when it crosses the border into Ukraine, it would no longer be Russian but Hungarian gas. It is currently being discussed whether Ukrainians and Russians would agree to this, but we are not giving up on the idea," Orban told a press conference.
Hungary is interested in diversifying its energy supply routes, Orban said, adding that "if you rely on energy from only one pipeline, you are always vulnerable."
"We are dissatisfied that the Ukrainian route has been replaced by another one. Of course, if it hadn't worked out, there would have been problems. But this does not bring joy. We would be happy if three or four affordable energy sources were constantly available," Orban stated.
Lift Sanctions Against Russia
Hungary believes that the sanctions against Russia have to be fully lifted as soon as possible, but only a few EU member states agree with this, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday.
“If it [the Ukrainian conflict] ends, the sanctions [against Russia] tormenting Europe will end. Hungary’s point of view is that the sanctions have to be lifted as soon as possible and to the full extent,” Orban said at a press conference.
The removal of Russia sanctions will end the streak inflation and the economy will start to recover, the Hungarian prime minister said. He stressed that Hungary advocates for this at European discussions, but with no success, as "only one or two member states think the same way, while the rest, including the big players, are opposed and not even discussing this."
The West stepped up sanctions pressure on Russia after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the West's long-term strategy of containing Russia hurts the global economy. The sanctions target Russian politicians, companies, athletes, students, scientists and artists.