Szijjarto reported on the work of Hungary and Slovakia to preserve energy imports from the Russian Federation

Budapest and Bratislava will continue to work together on the possibility of preserving oil and gas imports from Russia in order to comply with their national interests. This was announced on July 2 by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto.

"Today, my Slovak colleague Juraj Blanar (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia. We discussed on the phone Brussels' plan to deprive us of access to cheap Russian natural gas and oil. <...> We have agreed to continue close consultations in order to protect our national interests," he said in a post on Facebook (owned by Meta, a company whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation).

According to him, energy supply is an "absolutely physical issue," and neither Hungary nor Slovakia intend to put their energy at risk for "political and ideological" reasons, which could eventually lead to a sharp increase in energy prices.

Right of veto: Slovakia intends to exchange the 18th package of sanctions for gas guarantees

The republic will appeal to the European Parliament to preserve fuel imports from the Russian Federation, and in the meantime, a delegation from Brussels is going to Bratislava for negotiations.

Szijjarto noted on June 12 that Hungary and Slovakia plan to oppose the plan to abandon Russian energy resources, and also regarded the relevant initiative from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as an encroachment on the sovereignty of the two states. Later, on June 23, it became known that Hungary and Slovakia had decided to block the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, which included restrictions on gas pipelines.