Russia will supply gas to Hungary in 2020, regardless of agreements on gas transit between Moscow and Kiev, the RBC news website reported on Friday.
The transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine expires at the end of this year and a new agreement has not yet been negotiated.
“Today, the CEO of Gazprom and I have concluded an agreement that Gazprom will ensure gas supplies to Hungary, regardless of whether a transit agreement is concluded between Russia and Ukraine,” RBC quoted Hungarian Foreign and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó as saying after negotiations with Gazprom head Alexei Miller.
“A situation might arise when Russia will no longer supply gas to the European continent via Ukraine. We have to prepare for this scenario, because we must always take into account the worst scenario when planning the security of the country’s energy supply,” RBC quoted Szijjártó as saying.
State-run Gazprom is building two pipelines — Nord Stream 2 and the European leg of TurkStream — in the face of opposition from the European Union and the United States.
Both will carry Russian gas to Europe, bypassing Ukraine. The Nord Stream 2 link under the Baltic Sea is jointly funded by Gazprom and five regional energy companies. The planned TurkStream leg from Turkey to the EU is set to receive financing from a 50-50 joint venture between Gazprom and its Turkish partner.