Overview
- Hungarian officials said the November 28 Kremlin meeting secured guarantees that Russia will keep oil and natural gas flowing to Hungary under existing contracts.
- Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó reported that Vladimir Putin assured Viktor Orbán the agreed volumes will be delivered on schedule, with energy security described as the visit’s chief goal.
- Hungary continues to rely on Russian flows via the Druzhba oil pipeline and TurkStream for gas, receiving about 8.5 million tonnes of oil and more than 7 billion cubic meters of gas this year, according to Szijjártó.
- Orbán and his team emphasized that Hungary pursues an independent foreign policy and will keep working with Russia in areas outside Western sanctions, including nuclear fuel for the Paks plant.
- Putin called energy cooperation a cornerstone of ties, noted a 23% decline in trade in 2024 followed by over 7% growth in 2025, and said he would consider Budapest as a venue for talks with the U.S. President, citing a suggestion from Donald Trump.