Hungary's controversial Russian energy ties under U.S. scrutiny

The American embassy informed us that there is only one country in the Western world that is not decreasing but increasing its dependence on Moscow. Although it did not name Hungary explicitly, it presented its text against the backdrop of images from Orbán's meeting with Putin, which took place in October in Beijing.

The embassy provided examples of Finland and Bulgaria as countries striving to become independent of Russian energy. In its statement, it said: "Western democracies do not want to be dependent on Putin, a war aggressor, who blackmails them with energy."

The video also showed footage from a Russian military parade and the awarding of a high state decoration to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

The US Embassy noted that Hungary is the only country in the European Union that is 100 percent dependent on Russia for nuclear fuel. On the other hand, the United States is passing legislation to end the import of Russian uranium. "Hungary's dependence on Putin is a choice, and a dangerous one," the American embassy wrote.

Hungary is heavily reliant on Russian energy resources. It imports 158 billion cubic feet of natural gas each year under a 15-year contract with Gazprom signed in September 2021. Last year, it imported 5 million US tons of oil via the Friendship pipeline. The Russian state corporation Rosatom is expanding Hungary’s only nuclear power plant in Paks, located in the central part of the country.

Hungarian media note that this is not the first time that the American embassy in Budapest has expressed dissatisfaction with Orban’s government policies. After the Hungarian Prime Minister visited Moscow at the beginning of July as part of a self-proclaimed "peace mission," Ambassador David Pressman assessed that Orban's initiative "harms Hungary and its relations with its allies immensely."

Ambassador Pressman also criticized Budapest’s close relations with Beijing during Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit in May. He repeatedly spoke out when the Hungarian parliament delayed approving Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO.

Pressman, who is homosexual, actively supports the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary by participating, among other things, in the annual Budapest Pride parade.

Meanwhile, Orban's government defends a conservative definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. According to a law passed in 2021 in Hungary, the display of "homosexual content" to minors in the media is prohibited. It is also banned in school educational programs.

Relations between Hungary and the United States have been tense since Joe Biden's presidency started. Orban and his associates openly support Republican Party candidate Donald Trump in the upcoming November presidential elections in the United States.