FM Szijjártó: EPP President Donald Tusk a notorious liar

European energy security has faced serious challenges over the recend period, which may even be exacerbated by the Ukraine-Russia war, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, told a conference on Monday.

Speaking at a Budapest conference on utility prices, the minister said that while the government was doing everything in its power to guarantee Hungary’s security, the situation “is spawning challenges beyond the immediate horrors of war”.

Energy supply is one of those challenges, Szijjarto said. Lack of energy resources would paralyse the economy and cut off heating in households, he said.

“This is not merely a Hungarian issue but a very serious challenge in the whole of Europe.”

Europe covers over 80 percent of its gas consumption from imports, half of which arrives from Russia, Szijjarto said. Currently, European gas reserves are less than 30 percent full, and gas prices have grown six-fold over the past 18 months, he said.

The minister said that the sanctions imposed on Russia have so far not impacted gas deliveries. He added that Hungary had supported the EU’s sanctions against Russia.

Szijjártó rejected the claims by Donald Tusk, the head of the European People’s Party, who said that Hungary had vetoed the EU’s proposal to exclude Russia from the international payment system SWIFT.