Once again Hungary sides with Russia to the detriment of European energy security by backing a politically divisive pipeline. I wouldn’t be so sure that Gazprom doesn’t have some deals brewing with Austria to keep this positive tension going – a sure fire way to defeat the Nabucco. Am I the only one who sees the irony of the fact that Russia’s leading presidential candidate is spending the week before the vote touring Southeastern Europe instead of campaigning back home? From the Financial Times:

Blow to US as Hungary backs Russian pipeline By Stefan Wagstyl in London, Kester Eddy in Budapest and,Neil MacDonald in Belgrade Hungary yesterday backed a planned Russian gas pipeline crossing south-east Europe, a move that risks angering Budapest’s western partners and could threaten the prospects of Nabucco, a rival pipeline supported by the US and the European Union. Ferenc Gyurcsany, the prime minister, announced the move during a visit to Budapest by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s first deputy prime minister and likely successor to the president, Vladimir Putin. The deal is expected to be signed in Moscow on Thursday.