Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic met with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban yesterday and discussed Ukraine’s threat to cut off natural gas transits to Hungary. (Ukraine has been paid transit fees regularly and handsomely by Russia all this time for the gas that travels through pipelines in Ukraine. So, leaving those pipelines empty would seem a strange decision.) Vucic agreed to pass along supplies of Russian natural gas to Hungary, should Ukraine halt deliveries. Serbia would deliver to Hungary through the Balkan Stream pipeline, getting their own supply first from the TurkStream pipeline.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, as reported by Interfax, announced:
“We’ve heard in recent days that Ukraine would like to terminate the previously concluded natural gas transit agreement with Russia. Today, the Serbian president made it clear that if Hungary would like to increase natural gas shipments through Serbia to Hungary, then Serbia can ensure the necessary shipment capacities.”
Orban also had occasion to meet with the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, where he expressed interest in Turkmen gas being shipped through Hungary.
