Europe Asia News

The Hungarian minister attended an energy conference in the Russian capital, describing the EU’s efforts to phase out fossil fuels as “insane,” once again challenging most EU countries.

A European Commission spokesperson said on Wednesday that any bilateral contact between member states must respect the EU’s positions and policies, especially while the bloc is minimizing its relations with Moscow.

Spokesperson Anitta Hipper stated, “Being in Moscow right now is not the right message to Putin, because timing and context matter.”

Hipper added that the EU is currently preparing its 19th sanctions package against Russia, which includes a total ban on LNG imports and sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.

Hungary still imports a significant portion of its fossil fuels from Russia. The EU’s REpowerEU roadmap plans to phase out all Russian imports by 2027, which will also reduce Hungary’s oil imports via the Druzhba pipeline.

Speaking in Moscow on Wednesday, Szijjártó said, “There are currently two oil pipelines supplying Hungary, and Brussels wants us to remove one in the name of diversification.”

“How can removing one pipeline be called diversification? How can one pipeline be safer than two?” he asked, calling it “madness and complete irrationality.”

The other oil pipeline enters Hungary from Croatia. However, according to the Hungarian government, the Adria pipeline is insufficient to meet the needs of a landlocked country.