The foreign minister said previous sanctions had caused more damage to Europe than to Russia, and that European citizens had been the ones to pay the price, including Hungarians who...
The foreign minister said Hungary will continue to strip any elements that may harm its interests, should further sanctions be proposed.
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said several member states “want to be seen as doing something”.
“The sanctions policy has failed, and the trouble and damage it causes outweighs the … benefits,” Minister Szijjártó said.
Hungary’s stance is that it is time for the EU to confront the outcome of its political decisions on Ukraine, Minister Szijjártó said.
“We believe that this is not our war; we are in no way responsible for its outbreak, but we’re also paying the price for it … we continue to urge an end to the war and the start of peace talks,” the foreign minister said.
54% of the survey’s respondents completely disagreed and 17% somewhat disagreed with the European Union’s response to the war in Ukraine, its sanctions and weapons deliveries.
Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, after a meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council, the foreign minister said the only solution to the situation is peace.
“We will be under great pressure, but we are strong enough to stay out of the war,” PM Orbán said.
Enikő Győri said a year after the sanctions on Russia were imposed, it is clear that that they have failed to bring about the end of the war in Ukraine, and Europe “is paying a high price for them”.
The finance minister said the government must adjust the budget in the interest of protecting families and the economy.
The prime minister said inflation will not be removed unless peace has been secured and Brussels has withdrawn sanctions.
Csaba Dömötör said Brussels also urges member states as well as the US, the UK and Canada “to swiftly deliver on their pledge to provide Ukraine with modern battle tanks”.