Hungary calls for US-Russia talks to end war in Ukraine; condemns EU's sanctions on Moscow

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday called for peace talks between the United States and Russia to end the war in Ukraine. During a speech in Romania, Orban also lashed out at the European Union (EU) for the bloc’s strategy of a hardline approach to deal with the Russia-Ukraine war which has now surpassed 150 days. The nationalist leader also defended his video of an “unmixed Hungarian race” which he criticised mixing with “non-Europeans”.

On Saturday, the Hungarian Prime Minister said, “only Russian-US talks can put an end to the conflict because Russia wants security guarantees” only Washington can provide. 

He further added that the EU “should not side with the Ukrainians, but position itself” between both Moscow and Kyiv. Orban believes that sanctions on Russia “will not change the situation” and “the Ukrainians will not come out victorious”. He said, “The more the West sends powerful weapons, the more the war drags on.”

Orban hails ex-US Prez Trump and Merkel’s leadership

Hailing former United States President Donald Trump and ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Orban claimed that the “war would never have broken out if Donald Trump were still head of the United States and Angela Merkel were the German Chancellor.” Earlier, Hungary overwrote over EU”s sanctions on Russia and requested Moscow to supply it with almost a billion cubic meters of natural gas. 

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to Hungary’s request and said that Moscow will “immediately forward and study Budapest’s demand”. Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister  Peter Szijjarto had talked about additional gas supply from Russia during his visit to Moscow. He had said, “Looking at the current market situation, like it or not ... without Russian sources, it would not be possible to buy an additional 700 million cubic meters of gas”.

 Szijjarto added, “In the current international situation, the most important thing for us is to ensure Hungary's energy security. Therefore, I would like to talk today and agree on increasing the volumes of gas already supplied to Hungary from Russia." 

It is to mention here that Hungary had condemned the Russia-Ukraine war in February but has maintained a comparatively pragmatic approach to the conflict. While the EU has chosen to take a hardline approach, Hungary has called on the bloc to acknowledge the dependency on Russian gas imports. 

Image: AP