Orban calls attack on Russian gas import route a casus belli

An attempt by a foreign state to destroy the gas pipeline through which Hungary receives Russian gas would be recognized by Budapest as a terrorist attack and a casus belli. This was stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in an interview with American TV presenter Tucker Carlson, published in X (formerly Twitter).

According to Orban, Hungary immediately called the incident a terrorist attack, but this was not agreed in Germany and in the West, where they preferred to consider the explosion “something.” By doing this, Berlin demonstrated a lack of sovereignty, he believes. Budapest, the Hungarian prime minister added, immediately made it clear that it would consider such an attack on the Turkish Stream, through which gas from the Russian Federation goes to Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia, unacceptable.

“Together with the Serbian prime minister, we made it clear that if something like this happens to the southern corridor … we will consider this a casus belli, a terrorist attack and we will immediately respond,” he said.

Orban added that the warning was not addressed to Russia, but Hungary and Serbia were heard.

Explosions at Nord Stream occurred on the night of September 26, 2022. Pressure dropped in both pipelines. Two subsequently discovered leaks were in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Sweden, and two more were in the Danish EEZ. Initially, Germany, Sweden and Denmark agreed to conduct a joint investigation, but this idea was later abandoned. In October 2022, Sweden announced the completion of the investigation, stating “increasing suspicions of gross sabotage”, but those responsible for what happened were not named.

In June, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that investigators in Germany were looking into evidence that those involved in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines could use Poland as an operational base for attacks. In the same month, the Dutch NOS and Nieuwsuur and the German Die Zeit and ARD published a joint investigation alleging that the US CIA was informed of Ukraine’s plans to undermine Nord Stream in June 2022 and warned Kiev against this step.

In the Kremlin admittedthat information on undermining gas pipelines can be deliberately thrown into the media to divert attention from the true customers, meaning the countries of the West.