Russian MP threatens Hungary with energy cut-off after Budapest labels Moscow a security threat

Hungary’s new Tisza government has labelled Russia a security threat, marking a sharp break with the Orbán era. Moscow has warned the shift could put Hungary’s Russian oil and gas supplies at risk. A Russian State Duma deputy has threatened Hungary with an energy blockade in response to a new foreign policy doctrine from Budapest, which describes Russia as a security threat. Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party defeated Viktor Orbán’s nationalist government in April. Magyar has since pledged a foreign policy reset, seeking closer ties with the EU and NATO while moving away from the close relationship his predecessor built with the Kremlin. In a document published on Wednesday setting out Hungary’s position ahead of the 81st UN General Assembly, the government said Hungary condemns Russian military aggression and fully supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while calling for negotiations towards a sustainable peace and security guarantees. “Russia’s behaviour poses a threat to Hungary, Europe and the global order, and also endangers the Hungarian minority living in Transcarpathia,” the document said. Moscow has not officially responded to the document. However, Andrei Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma’s Defence Committee, warned that Russia could halt oil and gas supplies to Hungary after Budapest labelled Moscow a threat. “He [Magyar] has been instructed to take a hostile stance towards Russia. They are trying to gain some sort of advantage. I think oil and energy supplies to Hungary from Russia are now in doubt following such statements,” Kolesnik told Russian newspaper Gazeta.ru. He added that Hungary had bowed to pressure from the European Union to pursue anti-Russian policies. Kolesnik, who did not name Magyar directly, is a member of Vladimir Putin’s ruling party and frequently echoes Kremlin messaging. Hungary is among the last EU member states still importing large volumes of Russian oil and natural gas via a Soviet-era pipeline network. Along with Slovakia, Budapest received an exemption from EU sanctions banning pipeline oil imports from Russia in 2022. Orbán was long considered Vladimir Putin’s closest partner within the European Union, repeatedly blocking EU statements and sanctions against Russia. He argued that Russia posed no threat to Hungary, given NATO’s far greater military strength, with Hungary itself a member of the alliance. Last year, Russian secret services criticised Magyar in a rare written statement, branding him a tool of the EU and echoing narratives promoted by Orbán’s Fidesz party. Since the change of government in Budapest, however, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said it is ready to pursue pragmatic relations with the new Hungarian administration.