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"Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto declared that the country’s sovereignty is under threat in an address on Sunday, after explosives were found near the TurkStream pipeline. “We reject this latest attack on our sovereignty in the strongest possible terms, since an attack on the security of our energy supply cannot be interpreted as anything other than an attack on our sovereignty,” he stated. “We will defend ourselves with the Serbs, we will jointly defend ourselves, defend the security of our energy supply, and we will not let them force us into buying energy resources at a higher price and from a less secure source than the current one,” Szijjarto continued. The top Hungarian diplomat stressed the crucial importance of the pipeline, which carries Russian natural gas to Hungary, Turkey and other Southeast and Central European countries, to national energy security. The TurkStream annually transits 7.5-8 billion cubic meters, serving Hungary's primary energy artery. “If the TurkStream pipeline were not functioning, we could only buy natural gas for a multiple of the current gas price, which would mean the end of the utility cost reduction here in Hungary,” Szijjarto commented. “We will not allow the Hungarian people to be made to pay three times the current utility prices.” Earlier on Sunday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that explosives of ‘devastating power’ in two large packages were discovered in the municipality of Kanjiza, near a major gas pipeline. Vucic pledged his country would respond to any attempt to endanger vital infrastructure. Serbian security forces launched an investigation into the incident. The Serbian leader promised to keep the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban updated on the investigation details. The Turkish side has not commented on the incident at the time of publication. During a Friday phone call, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed "the importance of coordinated measures to comprehensively ensure security in the Black Sea area". Both Hungarian and Russian sides repeatedly reported drone attacks on infrastructure linked to the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas facilities, accusing Kiev as the perpetrator and only beneficiary. Ukraine has not publicly commented on those claims. Earlier, Orban warned that Hungary's oil supplies could stop unless Kiev allows Russian oil to flow through the Druzhba pipeline. Hungary has accused Ukraine of deliberately blocking the route, while Kiev says a 'Russian drone' strike caused the damage. Hungary has long opposed EU plans to cut Russian energy imports, even taking legal action to fight restrictions on Russian gas. Budapest keeps household energy and petrol prices capped, among the lowest in Europe, and the country remains heavily reliant on Russian oil and gas. "
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