Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he will impose conditions for maintaining the European Union sanctions against Russia in the context of the energy situation in Europe, IPN reports.
Orban warned that if Brussels does not convince Kyiv to resume the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine, Hungary will block the extension of economic sanctions against Russia.
The Hungarian official also pointed out that if the Ukrainians want help to sanction the Russians, he asks them to reopen the gas route and allow Central European countries, including Hungary, to import the gas they need through Ukraine.
"Hungary has lost €19 billion in the last three years due to sanctions imposed by Brussels. In Hungarian currency, this is 7,500 billion HUF. It's a huge amount, much higher than what the Hungarians pay into the treasury as income tax in a year," Orban said in a public message on social media.
The Hungarian prime minister asked for a guarantee that the situation with oil will not degenerate like that of gas, because this also comes through Ukraine. Otherwise, it will be quite critical for Hungary, Orban concluded.
The Hungarian official stressed that he continues to support the sanctions against Russia, but these must be balanced and the measures taken should ensure the energy stability of the European Union. Victor Orban added that Hungary will carefully analyze any decision on the extension of these sanctions, given the direct impact on the economy and population of the state.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told a press conference in Paris that these sanctions were not agreed for the beauty of the gesture, but in the interest of the security of Europeans." "I think Hungary will agree, as it has done before, to renew these sanctions," he added.
"It will not be good if we pay the economic consequences of sanctions to help Ukraine, while they play tricks on us," Orban reproached.
The Hungarian Prime Minister’s statements come in the context in which the European Union is facing challenges related to energy supply, and relations between Brussels and Moscow remain tense.
The EU adopted 15 packages of sanctions against Russia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine launched on February 24, 2022. By January 31, the next decision on the renewal of sanctions is to be taken.
