Sheet Politico On January 24, Mr. Orban quoted Mr. Orban’s statement on Hungarian television, saying that the Hungarian leader had emphasized to EU partners that the Russian embargo could not continue. Mr. Orban raised concerns about energy prices, after Ukraine did not renew an agreement for Russia to supply gas to Europe through Ukrainian pipelines.
“Hungary cannot be put in the position of having to pay the price for sanctions,” Mr. Orban said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
On January 24, EU officials met in Brussels (Belgium) to consider renewing the embargo against Russia, including trade restrictions and freezing nearly 200 billion euros of Russian assets in European countries. These decrees need to be renewed every 6 months and must have the consent of all 27 EU countries.
Bloomberg news agency reported on January 24, citing knowledgeable sources, that the EU was unable to agree on sanctions against Russia during a closed meeting on the same day, after Hungary’s protest. This issue will continue to be discussed by foreign ministers of EU countries on January 27, while the embargo will expire on January 31. Mr. Orban is said to have not yet firmly expressed his stance on whether he will support or veto extending the embargo against Russia.
Mr. Orban said that the EU should wait for US President Donald Trump’s move on the Russia issue after his inauguration. However, Politico said that the situation was not as expected for the Hungarian Prime Minister, after the new US leader made a statement threatening to impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow cannot reach an agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine.
The Hungarian Prime Minister directed criticism at Ukraine after Kyiv stopped renewing the agreement to transport Russian gas to Europe through pipelines in Ukraine, increasing energy prices. Mr. Orban also expressed concern that Russian sanctions in the current situation will affect Hungary’s economy.
