Vancouver Courier - Hungary presses Russia not to hike energy prices amid Iran turmoil

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto was in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin later Wednesday to press the request.

Energy prices have surged since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, including the benchmark price of Russian crude.

Hungary is the European Union's biggest importer of Russian fossil fuels, having maintained purchases and secured exemptions from sanctions despite pressure from Brussels amid the Russian offensive on Ukraine.

Budapest was already facing disruption from the closure of the Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary and which Ukraine says was damaged in a Russian strike.

Szijjarto said he would be seeking assurances that "the crude oil and natural gas necessary for Hungary's energy supply will continue to be available to us.

"I am also here to obtain guarantees that, despite the changed circumstances and the global energy crisis, Russia will continue to deliver the necessary quantities of oil and gas for Hungary at unchanged prices," he added.

Budapest relies on Russian oil and is currently in a standoff with Kyiv over a halt to supplies via the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine.

Ukraine says Russia attacked the pipeline in January and that the threat of another strike was holding up repairs.

Hungary and Slovakia -- which also buys Russian crude -- accuse Kyiv of delaying the repairs in an attempt to put pressure on them and choke them of Russian energy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said buyers of Russian oil were "facing blackmail" and accused Kyiv of "the deliberate blocking of deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline".

Y.Nelson--VC