VIENNA, June 16. /TASS/. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has notified 44 European Parliament members that his country will not support anti-Russian sanctions that hurt the EU and hamper the wellbeing of European families, Bertalan Havasi, the PM’s press chief, told MTI on Thursday.
In a letter, Orban wrote that Hungary had backed the six packages of sanctions against Russia and did its best to preserve European unity.
"Hungary backed the sanctions even though it became increasingly difficult to maintain the earlier consensus that the sanctions should not hurt the EU more than they hurt Russia," the press chief quoted the Hungarian prime minister as saying in his letter. Hungary reserved the right to reject proposals "that go against common sense and threaten the impoverishment of Hungarian and European families," Orban said.
He reiterated that his government would also reject sanctions against religious leaders, including Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.
"Hungary wants peace. The armed conflict must end and disputes must be settled through negotiations," Orban emphasized, reminding MEPs that his country condemned Russia’s actions.
Hungary has so far accommodated around 800,000 Ukrainian refugees, providing food, shelter, medicines, schooling for children and jobs for adults, the PM wrote. Therefore, Hungary "deserves appreciation and gratitude rather than offensive and lecturing remarks," he concluded.