Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that Turkey has agreed to safeguard the transit of Russian natural gas to Hungary. The commitment was reached following talks in Istanbul and revealed during a joint press appearance with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Hungary continues to rely heavily on Russian energy supplies despite ongoing geopolitical tensions related to the war in Ukraine, a stance that has drawn criticism from several EU and NATO partners. Budapest maintains a long-term contract signed in 2021 for 4.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas per year, though actual deliveries have been higher, reaching about 7.5 billion cubic meters last year via the TurkStream pipeline.
During the briefing, Orbán explained that Turkey will serve as the guarantor for Hungary’s only remaining transit corridor for Russian gas, since Ukraine’s transit agreement with Moscow expired at the beginning of the year. He stressed that Hungary lacks viable alternatives to replace these supplies and expressed gratitude to Ankara for ensuring uninterrupted flows.
The United States has granted Hungary a one-year sanctions waiver linked to its use of Russian oil and gas. The exemption followed Orbán’s discussions in Washington with President Donald Trump. In late November, Orbán also met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, saying the talks were focused on securing sufficient energy for the winter and the year ahead.
