The key facts

  • Hungary plans to give up Russian gas by autumn 2027 and is seeking a replacement for Russian oil
  • Russian Ambassador Yevgeny Stanislavov said Moscow is interested in preserving cooperation
  • In October, Prime Minister Peter Magyar asked the US to extend Hungary's sanctions exemption by at least a year

Ambassador's statement against the backdrop of Budapest's plans

Russia's Ambassador to Hungary, Yevgeny Stanislavov, in an interview with RIA Novosti said that Moscow consistently advocates preserving mutually beneficial energy cooperation, which for decades has provided Hungary with reliable supplies of natural gas. According to him, the issue now concerns not only the price of gas, which is rising in Europe, but also the availability of the necessary fuel reserves. The diplomat's comment came after Hungarian Foreign Minister Anitta Orban announced the country's plans (reported by Gazeta.Ru).

How Hungary is looking for alternatives

According to Anitta Orban, Budapest is preparing to abandon Russian gas by the autumn of 2027 and is simultaneously seeking a replacement for Russian oil. The main alternative for oil supplies is to be the Croatian JANAF pipeline. For gas, Hungary is considering LNG from Croatia, supplies via Greece and Azerbaijan, as well as infrastructure in Poland and Lithuania.

The Prime Minister's position and earlier signals

Back in October, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar stressed that Russian energy resources could not be replaced quickly and asked the United States to extend Hungary's sanctions exemption by at least a year. Thus, the public statements of the Hungarian authorities diverge in timing and tone: the Foreign Ministry speaks of a specific timeframe for abandoning Russian supplies, while the prime minister pointed to the impossibility of a quick replacement. Earlier, Hungary had already heard a grim forecast about relations with Russia.