Foreign Minister Lavrov during the conference in Turkiye.
The Russian Foreign Minister has highlighted the fact that the only countries who were willing to stand up for the interest of their own citizens in terms of securing Russian energy imports were Hungary and Slovakia. He also spoke about the role of Ukraine’s oppressive language laws during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye.
During the meeting of diplomats the head of the Russian diplomacy has called out the EU for its decision to wean itself of Russian energy carriers. Only Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico have defended their right to buy Russian oil, he added.
Sergey Lavrov at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum. Photo: Hungary Today
He went on to criticize the decision of the European Commission, a group not elected by appointed, as he put it, to shut down all imports of Russian gas and oil. They suspended the ban for now, but the basic policy is still there, he added. They want to be independent on Russin oil, but everyone understands that at the same time they are developing dependence on U.S. LNG and oil. But these will come at much greatest cost, Mr. Lavrov pointed out.
The EU leadership themselves admit that even though they know that the exponentially higher prices will not benefit their citizens, as long as this approach supports the Ukrainian cause, in their view the sacrifice is acceptable. They call it “European solidarity and values”, the foreign minister added. At the same time they try to present their decision to rid themselves of Russian oil as “achievement”, even though gas has become much more expensive as compared to what they would have paid for Russian gas under long term contracts, he said.
He then went on to speak about the Ukrainian language laws introduced progressively after 2014, that have ever since been a serious source of conflict not only between Moscow and Kyiv, but that between Budapest and the Ukrainian government as well. He pointed out that the rights of ethnic minorities living in Ukraine are guaranteed by their constitution, “but they still do not care”. Ukraine has banned Russian (and Hungarian, ed. note) language in the media and in official communication, but the European Union does not seem to be worried about this at all, he pointed out.
He then went on to say that because of the European union’s actions global threats are now spreading from Europe and they want to make sure that Ukraine can be used as a “trigger” for these threats. The EU is now crossing red lines, such as with the air patrols around the Baltic countries or by supplying military drones to Ukraine. He warned against the perception that some have in the West viewing Russia as a “paper tiger”.
We are running our of patience and it is a good thing that no one knows where that red line exactly lies”, he told his audience.
Sergey Lavrov. Photo: Hungary Today
This week Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that the Slovak government has filed a lawsuit before the Court of Justice of the EU over the ban on imports of Russian gas. It remains to be seen whether the new government lead by Péter Magyar will join the lawsuit.
When asked by the moderator about the dramatic result of the recent Hungarian parliamentary elections, where Viktor Orbán has lost to his rival Péter Magyar, he replied by saying that
I would not overestimate the development that took place in Hungary. He was accused of being a pro-Russian politician, but in reality he only was a pro-Hungarian politician.
All these accusation were brought up with one purpose in mind, to hide the existing deep contradictions between the national governments in the EU countries, ones elected by the people on the one side, and the bureaucracy in Brussels on the other. “We know from Soviet times that any bureaucracy can replicate and expand itself”. Although this bureaucracy does have some norms, the European Commission’s actions exceed the mandate that they are given by member states by far. And this has been the case since the start of the COVID pandemic (2019), Minister Lavrov said.
Viktor Orbán has raised his voice against this bureaucracy,
he added. He also spoke about how the Hungarian government has opposed the confiscation of Russian national assets held in European banks. “They they failed to steal our national reserves”, Mr. Lavrov pointed out.
He then went on to explain the events surrounding the closure of the Druzhba oil pipeline by the Zelenskyy government. Viktor Orbán told the EU that he will not sign on the EUR 90 billion European loan for Ukraine until Kyiv reopens the Druzhba pipeline.
It took Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán a couple of weeks to convince the European Commission even to send inspectors to check the oil pipeline. How can you expect Orbán to like this regime? –
he asked his audience.
Mr. Lavrov also spoke against the depiction of the outgoing Hungarian prime minister as “pro-Russian”. “I would not say that he is pro-Russian”, he said. However, President Putin never says no when he is approaches from abroad and that is why the Israeli PM, the French president and many others have visited him in recent years. “But talking to us should not make one an outcast”, Mr. Lavrov concluded.
THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC FILES A LAWSUIT BEFORE THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU OVER THE BAN ON IMPORTS OF RUSSIAN GAS
“The Regulation of the European Council and the European Parliament of 26 January 2026 essentially stipulates that we will end imports of Russian gas and oil,” said… pic.twitter.com/YbcI3WNZC2
— Robert Fico 🇸🇰 (@RobertFicoSVK) April 17, 2026
Featured Photo: Hungary Today
