Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that the country cannot afford to stop importing Russian energy sources, particularly oil and gas, without serious consequences for the national economy. He made this announcement following a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump.
This is reported by Finway
Hungary’s Energy Dependence
Orban emphasized that Hungary has no access to the sea, and therefore is largely dependent on energy supplies transported via pipelines from the Russian Federation. He stressed that any attempts to abandon Russian oil and gas could lead to economic destabilization.
“The country has no access to the sea, so abandoning Russian oil and gas supplied through pipelines would destroy Hungary’s economy,” Orban stated.
Government’s Position on External Pressure
The Hungarian Prime Minister also noted that the government will be guided solely by its own interests regarding energy resource procurement and will not accept directives from the U.S. administration. Orban calculated that abandoning Russian energy sources would lead to an immediate 4% reduction in industrial production in the country. Thus, Budapest plans to continue cooperation with Russia in the energy sector to avoid economic upheavals.