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Hungary loses 19 bln euro due to EU sanctions against Russia — Orban

The Hungarian prime minister reminded that the EU has to decide by January 31 whether to prolong the sanctions against Russia imposed over the conflict in Ukraine for another six months

BUDAPEST, January 24. /TASS/. EU sanctions against Russia are harming Europe – Hungary alone has lost about 19 bln euro due to them, so EU leaders should consider whether to continue this policy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in an interview with Kossuth radio.

He reminded that the EU has to decide by January 31 whether to prolong the sanctions against Russia imposed over the conflict in Ukraine for another six months. "If we look at the figures for the last three years, we will see that Hungary has lost about 19 bln euro due to the sanctions," he said.

"Now the question of extending the sanctions is on the table, but I pulled the handbrake and told other European leaders that this cannot go on any longer," Orban noted.

He believes that the EU should carefully reconsider whether it should stick to a sanctions policy that has failed to achieve its goal and has only harmed the EU countries themselves.

Orban has previously stated that Brussels should reconsider its approach to the issue. The Hungarian government believes that the extension of sanctions every six months should not be automatic, but requires a serious discussion of the situation, which has changed in recent months, including President Donald Trump coming to power in the United States.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on January 23 that Budapest has not yet made a decision on further extension of EU sanctions against Russia and intends to hold consultations on this with the new US administration. On Monday, January 27, the issue will be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.