Hungarian FM calls EU energy diversification “crazy” during 13th Moscow visit

The European Commission quickly responded to Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s latest journey to Moscow on Wednesday, saying the visit “is not the right message to Putin.”

Hungary’s top diplomat again broke with most EU countries by attending an energy forum in the Russian capital, where he called the EU’s push to diversify and move away from fossil fuels “crazy.”

A European Commission spokesperson told reporters on Wednesday that any bilateral contacts by member states should respect the EU position and policies, particularly as the bloc is scaling down its relations with Moscow to the minimum.

"Being in Moscow, right now is not the right message to Putin, because time and context matter," spokesperson Anitta Hipper said.

She added that the EU is currently preparing its 19th Russian sanctions package, including a full ban on LNG imports and sanctions against two major Russian oil companies, Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.

Hungary continues to import a substantial share of its fossil fuels from Russia. The EU’s REpowerEU roadmap aims to phase out all imports from Russia by 2027. This would also reduce Hungary’s oil imports from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline.

"Currently, there are two oil pipelines leading to Hungary, and Brussels wants us to eliminate one in the name of diversification," Szijjártó said in Moscow on Wednesday.

"But how can the elimination of one pipeline be called diversification? How can one pipeline be considered safer than two?" he asked, calling it "madness, complete illogicality."

The other oil pipeline reaches Hungary from Croatia. However, according to the Hungarian government, the Adria pipeline is insufficient for the country’s needs as a landlocked country.