BUDAPEST, December 5. /TASS/. The settlement of the conflict in Ukraine should lead to the lifting of Western sanctions and other restrictions against Russia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Kossuth radio.

"Peace [in Ukraine] must break the sanctions system," the prime minister said. He also expressed hope that the European Commission’s plan to phase out Russian oil and gas supplies to Europe by 2028 will never be implemented. "I hope that by that time peace will be achieved and this issue will no longer be on the agenda," Orban added.

He confirmed that Hungary would file a lawsuit with the EU Court if the EU leadership’s initiative to ban the purchase of Russian energy resources is approved by a majority of member states. Budapest argues that Brussels would be violating EU law by seeking to adopt such a decision by a simple vote rather than by consensus, as it allegedly concerns trade policy rather than sanctions.

"If gas and oil do not flow from Russia to Hungary, it will have tragic consequences for the country’s economy," Orban said. "This is a matter of vital importance for the Hungarian economy and for Hungarian families," he stressed.