Hungary's new prime minister says “the whole EU will go back to buying Russian gas”. “The geography hasn't changed”
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said in an interview published Thursday in the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita that he believes the European Union will shift to Russian gas after the end of the war in Ukraine, given that it “is cheaper” and “competitiveness and geography demand it.”
The Budapest head of government was asked if Hungary, in line with EU policy, would stop buying Russian oil and gas in three years, answering that, in his opinion, European policy “will change significantly after the war ends”.
Peter Magyar stated that he hopes this will happen “very soon”.
“After the war ends, the whole EU will return to buying Russian gas, because it is cheaper, and competitiveness and geography demand it,” Magyar added, after the interlocutor's insistence on answering about Russian hydrocarbons, according to Agerpres.
Provision given to the Hungarian government
“The geography hasn't changed,” said Peter Magyar, who took office on May 9 after defeating Viktor Orban in April's election. He noted that he mandated the new government to diversify energy sources as much as possible, while keeping in mind the prices of raw materials.
According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, liquefied gas transported through the Baltic Sea, then through Poland and Slovakia, is “significantly more expensive” than gas from Romania, Russia or Austria.
Peter Magyar claims that during the talks in Poland on Wednesday, his counterpart Donald Tusk promised him that he would “do everything to reduce the price of gas and make the offer as competitive as possible”.
Magyar explained that Hungary and Poland need to be competitive, and in this sense lower energy prices are needed. He described himself as “very pragmatic”, saying he was aiming to secure both supply and lower prices.
