BUDAPEST, December 2. /TASS/. The imposition of sanctions on the supply of Russian gas and nuclear energy will have tragic consequences for Hungary and it will try to prevent such an action from the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. He was speaking on the air with the Kossuth radio station.
He noted that the European Union has already established restrictions on the purchase of Russian oil and is discussing the possibility of imposing a ban on Russian gas supplies, as well as sanctions against Russia's nuclear energy.
"For Hungary, this will have tragic consequences, so we should be exempt from such a decision," Orban said. He stressed that the Hungarian government will "fight to protect its interests."
The Prime Minister believes that in its negotiations in the EU on this issue, Hungary has always achieved its goals and now it is participating in the debate on the ninth sanctions package "with high hopes."
However, Hungary is "constantly under pressure" from other countries, which is why the government hopes to enlist the support of its citizens in the ongoing national consultations on sanctions.
Orban also recalled that on December 5, an embargo on the purchase of Russian oil comes into force in the EU. Hungary, which receives oil through the Druzhba pipeline, has been exempted from these restrictions, but it will not be able to "avoid the effect of a price increase" as a result of such a move. However, in 2023, the government will continue to do everything necessary to protect the country's population from the devastating effects of sanctions that have caused energy shortages and inflation.
The European Union imposed sanctions, hoping that they would affect Russia and lead to a settlement of the situation in Ukraine, Orban recalled. But he stressed that the sanctions have not hastened the end of the Ukrainian conflict "by even a millimeter."
"The policy of sanctions has not achieved its goal," the head of the Hungarian government stated.