The ruling Fidesz party said on Thursday that Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto traveled to Moscow on Thursday to discuss purchasing more Russian gas.

The purpose of the visit is "to ensure the security of Hungary's energy supply, the government has decided to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of natural gas in addition to the quantities stipulated in the long-term contracts," the Minister said in a statement on Facebook. 

Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared a "state of danger" amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Hungary imports 65% of its oil and 80% of its gas from Russia.

On March 6, Budapest, which had signed two contracts with Gazprom in September 2021, announced that Hungary would maintain its Russian gas deliveries.

For Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, preserving the partnership between Hungary and Russia in this area is imperative.

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.