Orban says US and Ukrainian authorities threaten energy crisis
The foreign policy decisions of Ukraine and the USA threaten Europe with a new energy crisis. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was in Belgrade for talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, said this on 18 January.
According to the Hungarian prime minister, what is happening at Hungarian gas stations is "outrageous, perhaps even egregious." He pointed out that "negative events" have taken place in the energy vision world in Europe in recent days, recalling that Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas to Central and Eastern European countries on January 1.
"Ukraine has closed the pipeline that brought gas to Hungary. And the outgoing US dictatorial regime has imposed sanctions that will also lead to higher energy prices in Europe," he specified.
Orban added that Hungary and Serbia consider it their task to ensure the safety of the Turkish Stream pipeline, which brings gas from Russia to Europe.
In turn, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a statement on his page in social networks that 7.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas came to Hungary through the "Turkish Stream", which is an absolute record. He also said that it is in the common interest of Hungary and Serbia that the Turkish Stream pipeline works reliably and safely.
"To this end, we have strengthened our cooperation, realizing that the energy security of Hungary and Serbia is no longer possible without each other," he concluded.
Since January 1, 2025 , Gazprom has stopped supplying fuel to Europe through the Ukrainian gas transportation system. The state corporation noted that this happened due to Ukraine's refusal to extend the agreements.
Later, on 14 January, political analyst Ruslan Kalinchuk told Izvestiya that the USA would like to see Europe less competitive, which is why the administration of incumbent President Joe Biden demanded that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term expired in May) stop the transit of Russian gas.
