Szabo said a decline in imports and available volume in the region could cause a market imbalance and drive prices higher. He added that crude, diesel and gas prices could react with a "high degree of sensitivity" to a situation in which shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are not secure.

Addressing a possible increase in motor fuel prices, Szabo said many factors were in play, but the situation was "very vulnerable". He added that the situation on the market could change from hour to hour.

He said the situation for the region was made more difficult because of the disruption of deliveries of Russian crude through the Druzhba pipeline.

If the pipeline isn't restarted, the volume of alternative crude Hungary could take through the Adria pipeline running from the Adriatic coast through Croatia is uncertain, and another uncertainty is the volume of diesel that could be refined from that alternatively sourced crude, he explained, adding that the region is in the midst of a diesel shortage.

Szabo said MOL had place orders for crude from a number of alternative sources when deliveries through the Druzhba ceased.

He added that MOL was allowed under both European Union and United States sanctions regulations to buy seaborne Russian crude to supply its refineries south of Budapest and in Bratislava, but Adria pipeline operator Janaf had still not provided a clear answer on whether it would allow such deliveries.

He added that Janaf wanted to charge MOL "extremely high" transit fees and there were still uncertainties concerning the technical capacity of the pipeline.

MOL's task remains to supply the region with sufficient motor fuel at affordable prices, Szabo said.

Meanwhile, Military deployed to protect strategic gas reserve

The military has been deployed to protect Hungary's strategic gas reserve in Algyo, in southern Hungary, an officer of the Hungarian Armed Forces said on site on Sunday.

The soldiers have been equipped to carry out the task, Szabolcs Kis said.

Hungary's government recently deployed military and law enforcement to protect key energy infrastructure around the country. The Szoreg-1 underground facility in Algyo holds 1.2 billion cubic metres of strategic gas reserves.

DefMin inspects soldiers protecting Paks

Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky inspected soldiers deployed to protect the Paks nuclear power plant on Sunday.

Hungary's government recently deployed military and law enforcement to protect key energy infrastructure around the country.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky told public television that 60 sites had been designated for protection, so far, and decisions on additional sites would be taken on Monday.

Military deployed to protect Nyiregyhaza airport

The Nyiregyhaza airport, in northeast Hungary, has been put under military protection, the Hungarian Armed Forces said on Sunday.

Two military helicopters have been deployed at the airport to protect it from drones and to identify and intercept unauthorised aircraft.

Major Peter Freytag noted at a press conference on site that the Defence Council had deployed the Armed Forces and law enforcement to protect key energy infrastructure.

Magyar: Hungary's security, energy supply shared responsibility

Hungary's security and energy supply are paramount national interests that transcend party politics and represent a shared responsibility, Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza Party, said in an official letter to Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday.

In his letter, Magyar proposed that the prime minister join him in personally inspecting the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline to assess the actual situation, with the country's energy security in mind.

He said Hungarians rightly expected their leaders to make decisions based on facts and transparency, "not through Facebook posts and propaganda".

If the external security threat was as severe as the prime minister insisted, national unity was essential, Magyar said, signalling his readiness to participate in such efforts.

Magyar said that as leader of "Hungary's strongest political force and a candidate preparing to govern", he had coordinated with allies abroad and stood ready to represent Hungary's interests unitedly. He added that Orban could similarly leverage his international relationships to engage with key partners.

Magyar argued that if the threat was "real and immediate", Orban, as a responsible prime minister still in office, should invoke NATO's Article 4, allowing allies to jointly assess any danger to Hungary's territorial integrity, political independence and security. Such a move would send a clear and reassuring message to both Hungarians and allies, he added.

He urged Orban to "immediately cease fearmongering and stoking panic", warning that public security "should not be used as a campaign tool".

"There are limits to the political battles: the mental well-being of our children and the peace of our elderly must not become casualties of partisan campaigns," he said. If the threat were genuine, he added, responsible governance demanded cooperation, national unity, honest communication, and collective action.

Otherwise, Magyar said, Orban should "refrain from exploiting fear for political gain against his own people."

"Hungary’s security is our common cause," he said, calling for all necessary information to be shared transparently with each other and the public in the time left until the election with a view to safeguarding the country and its citizens.

Meanwhile, Magyar said petrol prices in Hungary were now higher than in Austria, Czechia, Poland and even Bulgaria, attributing this to "the government's repeated increases in fuel taxes". He demanded an immediate reduction in VAT and excise duties on petrol to prevent further price increases.

Szijjarto: Zelensky committing act of aggression against Hungary with oil blockade with Tisza as accomplice

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is committing an act of aggression against Hungary by blocking oil shipments, with the Tisza Party as his accomplice, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in Budapest on Monday.

The Defence Council has reviewed the energy supply situation at its morning meeting, Szijjarto said according to a ministry statement.

"We viewed satellite images showing the part of the Druzhba oil pipeline relevant for Hungary. The images clearly show that President Zelensky is lying ... there is no technical or engineering reason for the blockage of the pipeline," he said.

"In this situation, when maritime oil transport has become uncertain due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, blocking a well-functioning land-based pipeline oil transport route is an attack on Hungary," he added.

"By blocking the operation of Druzhba amid this international crisis, President Zelensky is committing an act of aggression against Hungary. And in this act of aggression, President Zelensky and Ukraine have an accomplice in the Tisza Party," he added.

Szijjarto said that the agreements leading to the blocking of Druzhba had been concluded in Munich.

"The Brussels-Berlin-Kyiv axis made these decisions to help the Tisza Party and to help establish a Ukraine-friendly government in Hungary," he said.

"However, we will not allow this to happen. We will break the oil blockade and guarantee the security of Hungary's energy supply and the maintenance of utility price cuts," he added.

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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