Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to meet with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in the Kremlin on Wednesday, March 4th, to discuss critical oil and gas supplies. The high-stakes meeting comes as Budapest seeks to secure its energy future amid a deepening global crisis.
Szijjártó said on social media he held talks with Russia’s first Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier today. The Hungarian minister said
I am here to obtain guarantees that, despite the changed circumstances and the global energy crisis, Russia will continue to deliver the necessary quantities of oil and gas to Hungary at unchanged prices.
Hungary’s energy security is currently besieged on multiple fronts. Ukraine has blocked oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, while Croatia remains in a dispute with Budapest over the right to transport Russian crude via maritime routes. Furthermore, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the conflict in Iran has severely disrupted global energy markets, making Hungary’s reliance on overland Russian imports even more pivotal.
