BUDAPEST, January 24. /TASS/. Hungary and Russia have reaffirmed their commitment and readiness to protect the TurkStream gas pipeline, which is used to supply fuel to Europe, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced after a telephone conversation with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
"Today we discussed regional energy issues over the phone with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. Oil and natural gas supplies to Hungary continue, and the TurkStream pipeline is breaking records, so we reaffirmed our commitment to protecting this transport route," Szijjarto wrote on his Facebook page (banned in Russia, owned by the Meta corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia).
Szijjarto noted that "in recent days and weeks, there has been a lot of news about energy supply security in Central Europe."
"The halt of gas transit through Ukraine creates problems for a number of Central European countries. However, we can still guarantee the security of energy supply to Hungary thanks to the efforts of recent years," the minister assured.
About attack on TurkStream
Earlier, Szijjarto stated that Ukraine's decision to stop the transit of Russian gas to Europe from January 1 was unacceptable, and the recent attack by the Ukrainian armed forces on a compressor station in the Krasnodar Region used to supply fuel to the TurkStream was tantamount to an encroachment on the sovereignty of the states using this pipeline.
On January 13, Russia’s Defense Ministry said that to disrupt gas supplies to Europe, Kiev sent nine drones to attack the infrastructure of the Russkaya compressor station in the Krasnodar Region, which supplies gas through the TurkStream pipeline. Despite the attack, the station continues to operate and supply gas to the pipeline as usual.
Diversification strategy
Szijjarto noted that in order to ensure its energy security, Hungary has to adhere to a strategy of diversifying its sources and supply routes. Last year, the country began purchasing small amounts of gas from Turkey and Azerbaijan, and from 2027 it is counting on LNG supplies from Qatar. Hungary also plans to expand cooperation with Romania, from which it received 1.7 billion cubic meters of gas via pipeline last year. In 2027, industrial exploitation of the large Neptune Deep field in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania may start and Hungary is also counting on its resources.
Hungary expressed its readiness to supply gas via its territory to neighboring Slovakia, which has lost Russian fuel supplies via Ukraine.
Hungary continues to receive the bulk of its gas in accordance with long-term contracts with Gazprom via the TurkStream pipeline and its branches through Bulgaria and Serbia. In 2022, 4.8 billion cubic meters of gas entered the country via this route. According to Hungarian data, in 2023 this figure increased to 5.6 billion cubic meters, and in 2024 it reached a record high of 7.6 billion cubic meters.