Gazprom starts pumping extra gas to Hungary: Hungarian FM

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Russia's energy giant Gazprom started supplying additional gas to Hungary at a rate of 2.6 million cubic meters of gas per day above the agreed volumes via TurkStream, Tamas Menczer, Hungarian state secretary for international representation, confirmed on Saturday.

Menczer said that the Hungarian government made the decision to purchase some 700 million cubic meters of natural gas in addition to the agreed quantities.

He indicated that "Given today's European market conditions, it is clear that procuring such a large quantity is impossible without Russian sources."

The secretary mentioned that "Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto recently held talks in Moscow, followed by several commercial negotiations."

"This led to an agreement, as a result of which yesterday morning Gazprom began deliveries above the already contracted volumes," he said.

According to the official, Russia will pump 2.6 million cubic meters of natural gas per day in addition to the existing supplies via TurkStream until the end of August. Moscow and Budapest are already discussing this scheme for September.

It is noteworthy that Hungary stands as the only country in the EU that opposed sanctions against Russia. The country imports 65% of its oil and 80% of its gas from Russia.

Last September, Hungary signed two long-term contracts with Gazprom. Via gas pipelines passing through Serbia and Austria and bypassing Ukraine, Russia will supply Hungary with a total of 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas.

This agreement is scheduled to last for 15 years, but it may be reviewed within 10 years depending on the start of its implementation.

The EU is preparing for a gas shortage this winter. On a proposal from the European Commission, European energy ministers had approved a 15% reduction in their gas consumption between August 1 and March 31, compared to their average consumption over the same period last 5 years.