Reuters: Washington tries to check Hungary's drift into Kremlin orbit
The United States is mounting a diplomatic offensive to stop Hungary selling a stake in a Croatian energy firm to Russia, part of what Western powers see as Budapest's dangerous drift into Moscow's orbit.
Western diplomats in the region have confirmed the United States is worried about a possible sale to Gazprom, a firm they describe as a tool of Kremlin policy.
A Gazprom takeover would give the Russian company a strategic foothold inside the European Union, which is already its biggest customer for natural gas.
Chris Murphy, the U.S. Senator who lobbied Croatia's government at Washington's request, said Gazprom has made no secret it would like to buy control of INA.