BUDAPEST, January 14. /TASS/. Almost all Hungarian nationals, who took part in nation-wide consultations, favored the withdrawal of EU sanctions against Russia, Hungarian Government Spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkiralyi announced Saturday.

Summarizing the nation-wide poll, she noted: "We have received the outcome of the consultations: 97% of Hungarians reject the sanctions that can inflict serious damage."

"The message is clear: Brussels’ sanctions policy must be reviewed," Szentkiralyi said on her Facebook [banned in Russia] page.

Earlier, the Government of Hungary said that the consultations lasted for two months, covered over 1,360,000 people and ended on December 15. The authorities consider it a rather high indicator, considering that the country’s population stands below 10 million people. Previous consultations, which focused on issues like migration and the coronavirus pandemic, involved approximately the same number of respondents.

About the consultations

The current nation-wide consultations took place under the initiative of the cabinet and the ruling Fidesz Party. For two months, the Hungarians were able to answer seven questions from a questionnaire, either mailed or filled online. The polling was totally voluntary, without any ‘turnout threshold’.

The citizens were asked question about sanctions on shipment of oil, gas, coal and lumber. They were also asked questions about potential sanctions in atomic energy, including ban on supplies of Russian nuclear fuel to the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, as well as restriction for Russian tourists and sanctions that lead to a food price hike.

According to the poll, the vast majority of Hungarians views the EU sanctions negatively and advocate their withdrawal. The government has made it clear from the start that it will use the outcome of nation-wide consultations as a strong argument during the talks with EU leadership and with other states. The Cabinet, led by Viktor Orban, has long been advocating a review of Brussels’ policy of sanctions against Russia, and achieved exemptions from some anti-Russian sanctions for Hungary.