Hungary’s record on Russia and energy

sir – In his article, “The five EU countries whose imports from Russia have increased since the invasion” (telegraph.co.uk, February 21), Ben Butcher writes that “in November 2022, [Hungary’s] imports from [Russia] hit 262 per cent above a three-year average”.

That claim, however, overlooks a rather important factor affecting the volume of our imports from Russia: we don’t have many alternatives.

For Hungary, dependency on Russian oil, natural gas and nuclear technology has historical rather than political roots. As foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said in August 2022: “As a result of Hungary’s geographical location and the placement of the various pipelines, it is physically impossible to assure the country’s energy supply without using and counting on Russian sources.”

What’s more, since 2010, prime minister Viktor Orbán’s governments have done more than any previous government to diversify Hungary’s energy imports. We re-acquired natural gas storage facilities previously squandered by Left-wing governments, established natural gas supply networks with six of seven neighbouring countries, interconnected our electricity networks with all of our neighbours, extended the lifespan of the Paks I nuclear plant and began construction of Paks II.

Since the Russian aggression began in Ukraine, Hungary has been carrying out its largest humanitarian aid programme to date. Based on the latest data from Hungary Helps, the state’s humanitarian aid programme, the government has so far spent €149.3million helping Ukraine, out of which more than €34million in aid has already been delivered. Most projects funded by Hungary’s pledge of €37million, made in May 2022, involve programmes that will be carried out over a period of multiple years.

In terms of Ukrainian refugees per capita, Hungary has been one of the most welcoming in Europe. As a country on the frontier of a country at war, we continue to call for peace and urge parties to the negotiating table. Zoltán Kovács

State Secretary for International Communications and Relations Budapest, Hungary