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Hungary will consent to further EU sanctions against Russia only after reaching an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump.
This was stated by Hungary’s Minister for European Affairs, János Bóka, in an interview with Welt am Sonntag, according to ntv.
The EU must be very cautious when adopting new punitive measures against Russia, Bóka said.
According to him, EU member states need to reach an understanding with Trump’s new administration regarding the significance and content of any new sanctions package.
“Without such an agreement, the Hungarian government sees no basis for further sanctions decisions,” explained Bóka, who is one of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s closest confidants.
He added that Hungary has fundamental doubts about the purpose and effectiveness of sanctions against Russia, arguing that they have not produced the expected results. If sanctions remain indefinitely, they will also weaken Europe’s economy and competitiveness, for example, by causing higher energy prices, the minister stated.
Previously, Viktor Orbán claimed that Hungary had allegedly received an EU “guarantee” regarding the restoration of transit through Ukraine and threatened to block the next extension of sanctions if this did not happen.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas suggested that the statement on “energy security,” in exchange for which Hungary supported extending sanctions against Russia, was largely symbolic.
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