Latest news with #Szijjarto
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
EU nation to keep Russian oil and gas flowing
Hungary has received assurances from Russia that deliveries of oil and gas under long-term contracts will continue despite efforts by the EU and Ukraine to disrupt them, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025). Hungary has opposed EU sanctions on Russian energy since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, saying the imports are vital to national interests. The country has a long-term contract with Gazprom and receives the bulk of its oil and gas from Russia. Gas is mainly delivered via the Turkish Stream pipeline through Bulgaria and Serbia. Budapest is also working with Russia's Rosatom to expand the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. The foreign minister was commenting on a proposal by the European Commission that would ban imports of Russian gas, including LNG, to the EU starting January 1, 2026. For landlocked countries such as Hungary, the cutoff would apply from early 2028. According to Szijjarto, the heads of Russia's largest energy firms have signaled that they are ready to continue supplying Hungary with low-cost natural gas and crude oil despite challenges and restrictions. 'Agreed with Russian officials & energy company leaders to maintain our cooperation, despite efforts by Brussels & [Kiev] to undermine it,' Szijjarto wrote on X. He made the statement after meetings with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller, and Rosatom Director General Aleksey Likhachyov. Szijjarto said oil deliveries are ongoing, gas flows continue through the TurkStream pipeline, and the expansion of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant – known as Paks II – is progressing. 'We won't let Brussels force [Hungarian] families to pay 2-4x more for energy,' he added. His remarks come as the European Commission has proposed ending all remaining Russian gas imports to the EU by the end of 2027. Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen presented the plan on Tuesday, following approval from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It includes a ban on new Russian gas contracts starting in 2026 and a full phaseout the following year. The proposal faces opposition from Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and reportedly from Italy. It is expected to be introduced as trade legislation, which would not require unanimous approval from all EU member states. Szijjarto has called the plan 'absolute insanity,' warning it could cause fuel price hikes and undermine national sovereignty. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has vowed to block the move.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hungary's parliament passes bill on ICC withdrawal
The Hungarian parliament on May 20 supported a bill on launching Hungary's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The government-proposed bill, supported by 134 lawmakers, would see Hungary exit the international body that it co-founded in 2002. The Hague-based court is tasked with prosecuting international crimes of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity. The vote formalizes Hungary's intention, which was first announced in early April during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Budapest. The Hungarian government has sharply criticized the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will soon be notified of the decision. The withdrawal will be formalized one year after the secretary-general receives the written notification. While the bill on the withdrawal was approved only on May 20, Szijjarto said already back in late April that the Hungarian legislature had backed the move to exit the ICC. "With this decision, we refuse to be part of a politicized institution that has lost its impartiality and credibility," Szijjarto wrote at the time. In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the forcible deportation of children from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. Despite the warrant, Mongolia hosted Putin for an official visit in September 2024, citing energy dependence as its reason for not executing the arrest and saying it had limited options. Read also: As Russia's fiber optic drones flood the battlefield, Ukraine is racing to catch up We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Star
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Hungarian FM advocates East-West cooperation for economic, tech growth
BUDAPEST, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto emphasized on Tuesday that fostering cooperation between East and West can bring long-term economic and technological benefits. He cautioned, however, that ideological and political interference continues to undermine such potential. Speaking at separate events in Vacratot and Budapest, Szijjarto reaffirmed Hungary's commitment to a balanced and pragmatic approach to international engagement. "We have never considered East-West cooperation a threat but rather an opportunity from which we Hungarians can greatly benefit," he said. Highlighting Hungary's "Eastern Opening" strategy launched over a decade ago, he said the country has since consistently supported investments from Asian countries, regardless of political or ideological differences. The "Eastern Opening" strategy was officially introduced in 2011 by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. The policy aimed to diversify the country's economic and diplomatic ties by strengthening partnerships with Eastern countries, hence to reduce Hungary's dependence on Western markets. "We never discriminated based on politics, ideology or nationality. We only asked companies to respect Hungarian laws," he said. He noted that Hungary's automotive sector continues to thrive despite global disruptions and geopolitical shifts, serving as a cornerstone of the national economy. "There is no alternative to global cooperation in the automotive industry," he said. Szijjarto described Hungary as a strategic hub for both Eastern and Western manufacturers in the electricity mobility sector. He projected that Hungary will soon have the capacity to produce over one million vehicles and more than two million engines annually, and will have the world's second-largest battery manufacturing capacity. The minister also expressed concern over recent political and economic missteps in Europe. He argued that the combination of Western technology and Eastern energy resources once underpinned Europe's economic growth, but that model has been dismantled. He said the lack of cooperation with the East has led to higher energy costs for European companies compared with their competitors in the United States or China. Szijjarto also criticized ideological and political interference in economic affairs, warning: "Disrupting this cooperation for political reasons leads to serious consequences, and the biggest loser would be the European car industry."
Japan Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Ukraine, Hungary each expel two diplomats in espionage row
FILE PHOTO: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrive for a joint news briefing, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo By Christian Lowe and Gergely Szakacs Ukraine and Hungary said on Friday they were expelling two diplomats each after each side accused the other of engaging in espionage. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, writing on the X social media platform, announced the action after Kyiv's SBU security agency said it had uncovered a spy network run by the Hungarian state to obtain intelligence about its defense. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Budapest's expulsion order was in response to what he called Ukrainian "propaganda". "Two Hungarian diplomats must leave our country within 48 hours. We have just summoned Hungarian Ambassador to MFA_Ukraine and presented him with the relevant note," Sybiha wrote on X in English. "We are acting in response to Hungary's actions, based on the principle of reciprocity and our national interests." Ukraine's SBU said in a statement it had detained two suspected agents who, it said, were being run by Hungarian military intelligence. It was the first time in Ukraine's history that a Hungarian spy network had been found to be working against Kyiv's interests, it said. Hungary is part of the European Union and NATO, two blocs with which Kyiv is closely allied in Russia's war in Ukraine, but relations between Kyiv and Budapest have often been fraught. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been skeptical about Western military aid for Ukraine. He has also maintained relations with Vladimir Putin, putting him at odds with most other EU leaders, who have sought to isolate the Russian president since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The SBU said the two suspects were former members of Ukraine's military, were in custody and had been given notice they were under suspicion of committing state treason. It said they were recruited by a handler in Hungarian military intelligence, and given cash and special equipment for secret communication. The SBU said the alleged agents were tasked with passing on to their handler details about Ukraine's air defense batteries, and other military capabilities in the Transcarpathia region of southwestern Ukraine. Ukraine is home to around 150,000 ethnic Hungarians, most of them in the Transcarpathia region. Orban's government and Kyiv have clashed over the community's language rights. Szijjarto told a press conference he regarded the move as Ukrainian propaganda that should be treated with caution before announcing that Budapest had expelled from Hungary two people it had identified as spies. "We do not tolerate that Ukraine should continuously launch such defamatory acts against Hungary and the Hungarian people," Szijjarto said in a Facebook video. "Therefore, today we have expelled from Hungary two spies working under diplomatic cover at Ukraine's embassy in Budapest." Szijjarto accused Ukraine of often using anti-Hungarian propaganda that proved unfounded and said Ukraine's latest move was driven by Hungary's opposition to providing military aid to Ukraine as it fends off Russia's three-year-old invasion. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
The Star
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Ukraine says it has uncovered Hungarian spy network, Hungary expels two in response
FILE PHOTO: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrive for a joint news briefing, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo KYIV/BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Ukraine's SBU security agency said on Friday it had uncovered a spy network run by the Hungarian state to obtain intelligence about its defences, with Hungary responding to what it called "propaganda" by expelling two people at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest. The SBU said in a statement it had detained two suspected agents who, it said, were being run by Hungarian military intelligence. It was the first time in Ukraine's history that a Hungarian spy network had been found to be working against Kyiv's interests, it said. Hungary is part of the European Union and NATO, two blocs with which Kyiv is closely allied in Russia's war in Ukraine, but relations between Kyiv and Budapest have often been fraught. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been sceptical about Western military aid for Ukraine. He has also maintained relations with Vladimir Putin, putting him at odds with most other EU leaders, who have sought to isolate the Russian president since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The SBU said the two suspects were former members of Ukraine's military, were in custody and had been given notice they were under suspicion of committing state treason. It said they were recruited by a handler in Hungarian military intelligence, and given cash and special equipment for secret communication. The SBU said the alleged agents were tasked with passing on to their handler details about Ukraine's air defence batteries, and other military capabilities in the Transcarpathia region of southern Ukraine. Ukraine is home to around 150,000 ethnic Hungarians, most of them in the Transcarpathia region. Orban's government and Kyiv have clashed over the community's language rights. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a press conference he regarded the move as Ukrainian propaganda that should be treated with caution before announcing that Budapest had expelled from Hungary two people it had identified as spies. "We do not tolerate that Ukraine should continuously launch such defamatory acts against Hungary and the Hungarian people," Szijjarto said in a Facebook video. "Therefore, today we have expelled from Hungary two spies working under diplomatic cover at Ukraine's embassy in Budapest," he said. Szijjarto accused Ukraine of often using anti-Hungarian propaganda that proved unfounded and said Ukraine's latest move was driven by Hungary's opposition to providing military aid to Ukraine as it fends off Russia's three-year-old invasion. (Reporting by Christian Lowe and Tom Balmforth; Additional reporting by Gergely Szakacs in Budapest; Editing by Frances Kerry, Timothy Heritage and Hugh Lawson)
