Szijjártó: Attacks on Energy Infrastructure Affect Hungary, Not Russia

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó commented on the recent fires at oil refineries in Hungary and Romania on the program "Aktualnoye Interview," emphasizing that they paralyze Hungary's energy supply, not Russia's.

He said this is a matter of reality, not politics: the remaining infrastructure is unable to replace Russian supplies, and the victims will be ordinary people.

Responding to a question about the oil refinery fires that occurred on the eve of the EU summit, Péter Szijjártó stated: "I'm not much of a fan of conspiracy theories, so I prefer to rely on the results of the investigation." However, he directly linked such incidents to energy security issues.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó

The Hungarian minister confirmed the critical importance of the Druzhba pipeline for the region: "We always ask the Ukrainians not to attack the Druzhba pipeline, because by attacking it, they harm not Russia, but Hungary and Slovakia."

Péter Szijjártó explained this by citing physical and geographical realities: "If the infrastructure supplying energy from Russia, partly through Belarus to Hungary, is gradually decommissioned, then from a physical standpoint, the remaining infrastructure is insufficient."

The head of Hungarian diplomacy warned of the humanitarian consequences of energy disruptions: "We do not want to deny our reliable energy supplies, because, firstly, this would destabilize the country, and secondly, people would become victims of such events."

He stressed that the energy issue goes beyond politics: "It's not about the government, it's about the people, and we don't want that to happen."