Hungary cannot support a new package of EU sanctions against Russia in its current form, including an embargo on Russian crude oil imports, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio today.
Orban said the European Commission’s current proposal was tantamount to an “atomic bomb” being dropped on the Hungarian economy, adding that Hungary was ready to negotiate if it saw a new proposal that would serve Hungarian interests.
Hungary, he said, is waiting to see a new proposal from the European Commission.
“I do not want to argue in the EU, but to cooperate … but this is only possible if they take our interests into account,” he said.
The commission on Wednesday proposed a tougher package of sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, but several countries opposed it, worrying about the implication of a Russian oil embargo.
Some Eastern European countries, members of the EU, are worried that a freeze on imports will not give them enough time to adjust, although diplomats have said Hungary and Slovakia will have time by the end of 2023.
According to Orban on state radio, Hungary will need five years and huge investments in its refineries and pipelines to be able to convert its current system, which is 65% dependent on Russian oil.
“We know exactly what we need, first of all we need five years to complete this whole process … 1 to 1.5 years is not enough for anything,” Orban said, adding that Hungary would need huge investments in its refineries and system. to enable imports of non-Russian oil.
The Hungarian prime minister has questioned whether investment of this magnitude is appropriate for a four-year or five-year outcome as the war in Ukraine unfolds.
In addition, Orban clarified that he would not support the imposition of sanctions on the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who is an ally of the Kremlin, as this is a “matter of religious freedom.”
He reiterated Hungary’s position not to send weapons to neighboring Ukraine as these missions would be the target of Russian attacks in the region beyond the border with western Ukraine, where Hungarian nationals live.
Speaking on the radio station, the Hungarian prime minister announced significant changes in the structure of his new government, which will be announced later this month.
Orban, who was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in last month’s election, said he would present the composition of his new government by the end of May at the latest.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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