BERLIN, June 28. /TASS/. Hungary does not plan to impose "radical sanctions" against Russia and does not want to be lectured on its relations with Moscow, the country’s ambassador to Germany said.
"No one should lecture us on our relations with Russia," Peter Gyorkes said in an interview with Die Welt. "We know from our history that a direct war with Russia on our territory should be avoided by all possible means."
Hungary more than other countries depends on Russian energy supplies, the diplomat said. "We will not impose radical sanctions. We are opposed to halting energy imports. We need time and money to reduce dependence on Russia," he told the German newspaper.
"Germany’s criticism is unfair. Ukraine’s critical comments are irritating, as Hungary has been doing a lot for Ukraine," he said.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said earlier that Hungary would not support sanctions against Russia, which would harm the European economy and households. Orban dismissed European MPs’ rebukes, reminding that Hungary had backed all the six rounds of sanctions, doing "everything it could to preserve European unity."