Hungary's foreign minister went to Moscow to complain about the European Union: “Completely illogical madness”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Peter Szijjártó, qualified right “crazy” the European Union's energy diversification plan, even during a conference held in Moscow, in the presence of Russian officials.
Peter Szijjártó in Moscow. PHOTO: Facebook
Wednesday's visit was the 13th trip of the head of Hungarian diplomacy to Russia since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, according to Euronews.
The minister's statements caused harsh reactions in Brussels. The European Commission has sent that such bilateral contacts “it does not represent the right message for Putin”.
“Being in Moscow right now is not the right message for Putin, because time and context matter,” said Anitta Hipper, spokeswoman for the European Commission. She recalled that the Union is preparing the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes bans on the purchase of liquefied natural gas and sanctions targeting energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom.
In Moscow, Peter Szijjártó again attacked the European policy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, saying that the EU's plan to close one of the pipelines supplying Hungary with oil is “completely illogical madness”.
“We currently have two oil pipelines leading to Hungary, and the EU wants to eliminate one in the name of diversification. How can eliminating one pipeline be considered diversification? How can one pipeline be safer than two?”, said the Hungarian minister.
Hungary continues to import a significant amount of fossil fuels from Russia, despite the European Union's plan to completely stop these imports by 2027, which would also mean the closure of the Drujba pipeline.
The Budapest government claims that the alternative through Croatia, the Adria pipeline, is not sufficient for the country's needs, as Hungary is landlocked.
