Hankó: Brussels' aim is to wither Europe
"As a result of Brussels' ill-fated sanctions policies, Brusselites took 2.5 million forints (EUR 6,250) out of Hungarian families' pockets in recent years," Balázs Hankó said.
"As a result of Brussels' ill-fated sanctions policies, Brusselites took 2.5 million forints (EUR 6,250) out of Hungarian families' pockets in recent years," Balázs Hankó said.
Minister Szijjártó said that after the "complete failure" of its sanctions on Russia, the EC was "making another serious mistake by banning energy imports from Russia".
Minister Szijjártó said the bloc's policy regarding the war in Ukraine "has failed miserably in the past years".
The foreign minister said that neither had Hungary supplied weapons nor contributed to the shipment of arms.
Minister Szijjártó said that the United States' chief diplomat had signalled a willingness for some form of consultations with allies on the sanctions affecting Gazprombank.
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 had nothing to do with the war.
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.