PM Orban: Gas Supply Safe for Now, but We Must Stay Alert and Take Action!

PM Orban traveled to Kiskundorozsma, personally inspecting the infrastructure after explosives were found yesterday on the Serbian section of the gas pipeline. The military protection of the Hungarian section of the TurkStream pipeline has been strengthened. At a press conference on site, Orban emphasized that Hungary’s energy supply is secure and emphasized that this should not be turned into a campaign issue.

PM Viktor Orban and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Photo: PM's Communication Department)

 “The situation is extremely serious,” PM Orban said in Kiskundorozsma, where a press conference was held after military protection of the Hungarian section of the TurkStream pipeline was strengthened. “Previously, it was about oil—we were placed under blockade. We can replace that from elsewhere, but a gas pipeline is even more like an artery,” the prime minister explained. He recalled that gas supplies to Hungary had been cut off before, which is why TurkStream was built.

“We are currently under a Ukrainian gas blockade as well, but we can compensate for the shortfall from the south. If this lifeline is cut, the Hungarian economy will come to a halt,” Mr. Orban said.

Hungary's prime minister conducted an inspection together with Foreign Minister Szijjarto Peter. “For now, Hungary’s gas supply is not in danger, but continuous protection must be ensured,” he stated. The prime minister added that the Hungarian Armed Forces are capable of protecting the pipeline.

Photo: Prime Minister’s Communications Office

Responding to a journalist’s question, Orban Viktor said 

they have no information indicating that an explosion had been planned on the Hungarian section of the pipeline.

He stressed that if they had known, it would have been prevented in time. He added that Hungary’s energy supply is currently secure.

Europe is in Trouble

In response to another question, the prime minister emphasized that all of Europe is heading toward an extremely severe energy crisis, and the coming days will be decisive. In his view, 

a competition for energy resources could emerge 

similar to the race for vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic.

– “The Hungarian position is that we should stop sanctioning Russian energy. On the other side, the position is that this is not necessary and that sanctions on Russian energy must be maintained,” Orban Viktor underlined. He noted that he would not be surprised if further threats emerge in the coming days.

Strategic Calm Is Needed

– “The country’s energy security is not a campaign issue—it is a matter of governance. It requires strategic calm,” he added. He indicated that threats to Hungarian infrastructure will persist in the period ahead. Orban Viktor said he sees no reason to invite Magyar Peter to a meeting of the Defense Council. He noted that he has heard the demand from the Tisza Party leader due to the upcoming election, but in his view the current governing parties will win in six days, making the issue irrelevant.

Photo: Prime Minister’s Communications Office

He also pointed out that the American and Hungarian positions align, and both encourage Russia to supply as much energy as possible. He said what the entire world is about to face in the coming weeks will have repercussions that determine the performance of the European economy for years. Europe will suffer a drastic economic downturn.

There is very little time left to act,” he added. In his view, a crisis similar to the 2022 energy crisis and a financial crisis akin to that of 2008 are both likely.

Who Is Behind the Sabotage Attempt?

“I am a proponent of restraint,” he said in response to a question about who might have been preparing a sabotage attack against the pipeline. Orban Viktor said it is necessary to wait for the facts, which will be provided by the Serbian side.

“The Ukrainians have the capability to carry out such an act, but we do not know whether they are behind this particular operation.” He recalled that after the Nord Stream pipeline explosion, it was initially claimed that Russia was responsible, but later it turned out that it was Ukraine.

PM Orban added that claims about false-flag operations have never been substantiated, but 

the thwarted sabotage attempt fits into a broader plan to disconnect Europe from cheap energy.

“In 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine, the European Union, after some deliberation, sided with Ukraine and decided to place Ukrainian interests ahead of European interests.

“There is currently no economic strategy within the European Union that would make us competitive or successful,” the prime minister said. Entire industries are being dismantled; with expensive energy, this cannot work, and unless the EU changes course, there will be no progress.

Gas Shortages Are Possible, But Hungarian System Stable

Responding to a question from our newspaper, Foreign Minister Szijjarto enmphasized that gas shortages could easily occur in Europe, which is why the focus must be on maintaining gas deliveries to Hungary at maximum levels. He added that 18.7 million cubic meters arrive through the pipeline daily. This is a completely stable system as long as Hungary can hold its ground against Brussels.

“That is why we have taken legal action against the European Commission over the package that would ban Russian energy sources from Europe,” he said. He noted that Hungary cannot build LNG terminals on the seacoast and that its main supplies come from the east. “Our energy security depends on assembling our own energy mix, and as long as we have a sovereign national government, that will remain the case,” he added.

PM Orban also pointed out that the EU treaties stipulate that each country has the sovereign right to determine its own energy mix. He emphasized that on April 15, the EU energy commissioner intends to push through a decision that would also ban Russian oil from the union. “We must win the election and then fight another battle in Brussels,” he said. He also noted that the future lies in Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia reaching agreements to assist one another, adding that Hungary has special obligations toward those two countries.

In response to another question, the prime minister said the incident is not related to the campaign, as it affects not the election but Hungary’s energy security. “We should not confuse campaigning with governance,” he added.

The prime minister also stated that Ukraine provides daily proof that it is unfit for EU membership.

Prime Minister Orban traveled to Kiskundorozsma this morning to inspect the Hungarian section of the TurkStream gas pipeline.

This is how Orban Viktor set off for the inspection (Photo: Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office)

A subsequent video revealed that PM Orban was also accompanied by Foreign Minister Szijjarto.

FM Szijjártó: They Tried to Blow Up the Serbian Section of TurkStream Pipeline

– “Yesterday, Serbian authorities prevented a terrorist attack that aimed to blow up the Serbian section of the TurkStream pipeline,” FM Szijjarto wrote on his social media page. He added that this pipeline is indispensable for Hungary’s gas supply, as 56 percent—more than half—of the gas in Hungary’s system comes through the TurkStream pipeline.

– “Our job is to protect Hungary’s sovereignty, safeguard the supply to Hungarian families, ensure the country’s operational stability, and defend the utility cost reduction program. Put simply, we do not want Hungarian households to pay at least three times as much for utilities as they do now—which would be the result if Russian gas and oil were cut off. That is why we have placed the Hungarian section of the TurkStream pipeline under military protection, covering roughly 250 kilometers of gas pipeline. And now we’re heading to Kiskundorozsma, where the pipeline enters Hungarian territory!” the minister wrote.

Cover photo: PM Viktor Orban and Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Photo: PM's Communication Department)