"Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Budapest had secured guarantees on energy supplies, following talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow on Friday. "We came here to guarantee the security of Hungary's energy supply, and I am happy to tell you that this has been taken care of. The Russian president assured Prime Minister Viktor Orban that Russia will fulfil its contractual obligations. This applies to both natural gas and crude oil deliveries," Szijjarto announced. He highlighted that flows through the Druzhba oil pipeline and the Turkish Stream gas pipeline were operating without disruption, which he argued protects households from drastic price increases. "This means that we have managed to avert the danger of Hungarian families' energy bills tripling by Christmas," Szijjarto said. The minister also underlined that Budapest received explicit assurances from Washington earlier this year regarding continued energy cooperation with Moscow. "The Prime Minister agreed with the US President in Washington that Hungary can continue to purchase energy resources from Russia," Szijjarto stated. "We have been granted an exemption from the sanctions, and today we have given meaning to that exemption." Beyond fossil fuels, Szijjarto announced progress on the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant - Hungary's largest strategic energy project. Technical preparations remain on schedule, he said, with the first concrete expected to be poured on 5 February, marking a key step in the Russia-backed construction process. Szijjarto reiterated Budapest's stance on the war in Ukraine, emphasising that Hungary 'is on the side of peace' and wants the conflict to end swiftly. "The Russian president has assured us that if there is a peace summit, it will definitely be held in Budapest," he said, adding that Putin had assured the delegation that Budapest would host a peace summit 'if there is one'. The Moscow trip comes as Hungary continues to navigate its position between EU sanctions policy, NATO commitments and its own energy dependency."