BUDAPEST, January 20. /TASS/. Hungary cannot manage without oil and gas from Russia, which remain its cheapest and most reliable sources of energy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said commenting on the opposition's plans to abandon Russian energy supplies in case of its victory on the parliamentary elections.

The Prime Minister recalled that he continues the struggle to ensure "Hungary is not cut off from Russian energy sources."

"This is not a matter of taste or desire. We are doing this because these are the cheapest and most important sources of energy for Hungary. Without Russian gas, there will be no reduction in utility bills. Without Russian oil, gasoline prices will soar. One can speculate endlessly about vague technical solutions, but these are the facts," he wrote on Facebook (banned in Russia, owned by Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia).

Earlier, Istvan Kapitany, a former employee of the transnational oil and gas company Shell and now an economic adviser to the opposition Tisza party, stated in an interview with the ATV television channel that Hungary must abandon Russian energy supplies.

"Now we know why they sent him: to implement the plans developed in Brussels," Orban noted.

The Hungarian government repeatedly stated that it cannot yet manage without Russian energy supplies, but continues to diversify its supply routes and sources. It stressed, however, that diversification does not mean abandoning cooperation with old, proven partners. Budapest does not support the European Commission's plan to fully abandon energy supplies from Russia by the end of 2027. Hungary still receives most of its oil from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, and gas via the TurkStream pipeline and its branches through Bulgaria and Serbia.

As Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto noted, in 2025, Hungary received over 8.5 million tons of oil and over 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia.

Parliamentary elections in Hungary, which will form a new government, are scheduled for April 12. Orban's Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Union party and its junior partners, the Christian Democrats, are competing against the opposition Tisza party, led by former government official Peter Magyar, who enjoys the support of the EU leadership.