Hungarian Conservative

As Hungary holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, it can leverage its influence to set the EU’s agenda in favour of increased imports of Turkmen gas, presenting it as a strategic and cost-effective alternative to Russian energy dependence. This would not only support Hungary’s energy strategy but also align with the broader EU goals of securing diverse and reliable energy sources while enhancing its presence in the geopolitically significant Central Asian region.

New sanctions by the Ukrainian government have forced oil transports from the Russian oil procedure Lukoil to be stopped to Hungary and Slovakia. However, Hungary is still receiving gas shipments from Russia uninterrupted through the TurkStream pipeline.

The Hungarian government has vetoed the 11th EU sanctions package against Russia after it was revealed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly urged the bombing of the Druzhba pipeline, a crucial route via which Russian oil is transferred to Hungary.

‘Hungarian-Serbian strategic energy cooperation is one of the guarantees that Hungary’s supply will remain secure in the next period,’ the minister said.

The foreign minister emphasised right after winter, ‘in Europe, it is fashionable to strut about with great bravado these days,’ but the International Energy Agency recently issued an ‘ominous’ report indicating that the most severe difficulties are expected to come in the next heating season when supply security will be critical.

On Sunday, the second phase of the sixth package of anti-Russia sanctions was introduced. The EU has now banned the import and re-export of processed petroleum products from Russia. The Hungarian government, however, managed to secure an exemption.

Serbian PM-designate Ana Brnabić said in Belgrade on Tuesday that the urgent construction and completion of the oil pipeline linking Serbia and Hungary is one of the priority projects in the country’s new energy strategy.