State Secretary Zoltán Kovács said Hungary was the first central European country to support Ukraine’s integration into the European Union, but Hungary will also continue to stand up for its own interests, especially in energy policy.
The state secretary responsible for international communication and relations told Italian news channel Sky Tg24 that during the accession process, Kyiv will have to comply with the same conditions as every other EU candidate state. Hungary will continue to stand up for its interests and will not cross certain “red lines”, such as insisting on its energy policy and respect for the religious freedom of the members of the Russian Orthodox Church, he said. Sanctions will only work if they harm the target country, he said, adding that Europe was smarting from sanctions imposed on Russia, and the situation may worsen in the coming period. Kovács accused the European Union of having “blackmailed” Hungary on a number of occasions before the war started, and he called on the EU to stop “penalising member states”. European unity should be manifest in foreign affairs, while the decisions of member states and their voters should be respected, he added.
Photo credit: Facebook/Kovács Zoltán