As the European Union pushes to completely separate its dependence on Russian energy and the administration of the US President Donald Trump The members of NATO urges to release Russian oil, the populist government of a country is firm.
Hungary and its leader, Prime Minister Victor OrbanLong has argued that Russian energy imports are indispensable to the country’s economy and switching on fossil fuels obtained from elsewhere will lead to immediate economic collapse.
The Orban, who has long been the most friendly relationship for the Kremlin of any European Union leader, has strictly opposed the block’s efforts to approve the Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and exploded attempts to hit Russia’s energy revenue that helps to finance war.
As the rest of Europe’s rest has shut down Russian energy, Hungary has maintained, and even increased, its Russian imports, no viable options exist.
But some energy experts – as well as critics of Orban, who see their commitment to Russian energy as a symptom of their intimacy for the President Vladimir Putin – It is said that the position of the Hungarian leader is more about politics than pipelines.
Orban said that the economy would be ‘on its knees’
Hungary leaders argued that its landlocked geography in the heart of Central Europe has depended on the Russian fossil fuel distributed by the pipelines, while the Hungary was under the Soviet dominance.
Due to no alternative sources and infrastructure to bring oil and gas to Hungary, officials say, the country’s economy will stop working without Russian supply.
Orban told State Radio in September, “If Hungary is cut off with Russian oil and natural gas, immediately, within a minute, the Hungarian economic performance will fall by 4%,” Orban told State Radio in September. “It will be frightening, Hungary’s economy will be on its knees.”
But a chemical engineer and analyst of the energy industry, László Miklós reported that the Associated Press had “no rational explanation” in search of alternative fuel sources for the government’s government’s reluctance and is already to supply Hungary with affordable, non-Russian oil and gas.
“In an integrated European market, disconnection from Russian energy should not be a problem, all conditions are. It is the intention that is missing,” Miklos said.
Russian import cut
The European Union countries went quickly to reduce their imports of Russian oil and gas after Russia attacked Ukraine, set up an ambargo on Russian oil in 2022 and announced a proposal to gradually stop all Russian gas and oil imports in the block by the end of 2027 this year.
Nevertheless, when the European Union demanded to deprive Putin of revenue that helps fuel the war, it also gave a temporary discount for the supply given by the pipeline to three landlock countries: Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
Miklos said, “Miklos said,” Hungarian government and national oil and gas group Mol have been allowed to take major windfall profits and give billions of dollars in Russia’s budget. ”
“People think that Hungary buys Russian energy for economic gain. It is wrong,” Miklos said, who previously served as the director of corporate relations. “Hungary buys Russian energy because the Hungary government wants to help in the arm of Russia … Mol and Hungarian government’s significant profit is a side effect of that.”
A western route infection
The European Union’s push to cut Russia from energy revenue has provoked anger from Hungary leaders, who portray the steps as misleading and ideological inspired.
Hungary Foreign Minister Pitter Sajjarto said in a September social media post, “It is quite surprising that the leaders of European countries … are unable to see where the geographical location of each country determines where this energy source can be purchased.” “We can dream about buying gas and oil from places that are not connected to pipelines, but we cannot heat our homes, boil water or run factories with dreams.”
Despite the request that the infrastructure deficiency prevents an infection for non-Russian energy sources, other countries of the region, similarly landlancing, brought dandruff first to a trick, then at a stop.
Earlier this year, the leaders of the Czech Republic, who earlier obtained about half of oil from Russia through the Drewzba Pipeline, celebrated the country’s “oil Independence Day” after doubling the capacity of an Italian pipeline, which is the final infrastructure development required to eliminate Russian oil imports.
Hungary, which currently receives the vast majority of its crude from Russia through the Drewsba Pipeline, is already a second pipeline: Adria, which runs from the Adriatic Sea of Croatia.
Mol says that this requires about 14 million tonnes (12.7 million metric tons) of raw tonnes per year, but recent trials on the Adria pipeline showed that it was firmly unable to give such quantity.
Croatian oil transport company Janaf claimed that it was set to cover the total annual demands for crude oil of Hungary and neighboring Slovakia.
Miklos said that even though Adria was unable to provide for all the oil needs of Hungary, it could play a major role in reducing imports from Russia.
He said, “It is possible to bring oil from elsewhere, the Adria pipeline has been available for several decades,” he said. “If they say what they say and they need 14 to 15 million tonnes (per year), it will still be rational to take 10 million tonnes from Adria and rest on Drews.”
Cost of finding options
The Hungary government has depicted the European Union’s efforts to prevent Russian energy imports as an existential threat to a popular, government -backed domestic utility reduction program. In May, Orban claimed in a video that domestic electricity bills would double and if the Russian supply is abolished, the gas bills would be about three times.
Nevertheless, according to a gas industry research analyst, Borbala Taksus Toth, the price of payment for Hungary Russian gas is based on European benchmark prices and is not much cheaper than paying other countries for non-Rasic gas.
Tóth, an independent institute, an independent institute, which works in the regional center for regional energy policy research BudapestSaid that modeling of his group suggests that breakdown with Russian gas would probably “be a temporary growth of 1.5 to 2 euros per megawatt hour,” a price increase he called “minimal, below 5%”.
Despite the commitment of rhetoric for Russian energy to Hungary’s politicians, the National Energy Company Mol has invested to diversify its supply in recent years and invest its refineries in Hungary and Slovakia to invest non-Rasi raw raw.
The company stated in an email that a multier, due to an investment of $ 500 million, will be a better position for a more diverse crude oil sourcing capacity by the end of 2026 “.
Miklos said that despite the Hungarian government’s determination to continue Russian energy, the rules of the European Union would soon end it.
He said, “Things will never be clearly equal again, because the European Union has learned that, it cannot be rely on Russia,” he said. “It is a matter of political will to separate from Russian energy sources. There is a small price to pay for it, which is paying every other European country.”