[Epoch Times March 06, 2022](The Epoch Times Special Report Ye Yifan Comprehensive Report) Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has betrayed his relatives. After Putin recognized the two republics claimed by the separatists in Ukraine, his long-term The attitude of Hungary, an ally, has reversed sharply, and it has supported the EU’s imposition of sanctions on Russia, and Moscow has thus lost an important support force.
On March 3, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in an interview with the news website mandiner.hu, “With regard to sanctions, we will not veto. We will not prevent the EU from imposing sanctions on Russia. Now the unity of the EU vital.”
Orban acknowledged that Hungary-Russia relations were maintained on a “balanced and fair” basis before Russia attacked Ukraine. But that has changed. “We condemn the Russian attack because they waged war on Ukraine,” he said.
Orban pointed out that the occurrence of the war has also changed the situation in Hungary, “We need to adjust Hungary’s goals and Hungary’s interests under the new situation.”
Orban urged Russia and Ukraine to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, and “the whole of Europe should work for peace.”
The Hungarian government has announced that Hungary welcomes Ukrainian refugees. On March 2, Hungary’s foreign minister said that Hungary had accepted more than 100,000 refugees from Ukraine.
As early as February 26, Orban made it clear when he inspected the border between Ukraine and Hungary that he would support all EU sanctions against Russia.
“Hungary has made it clear that we support all sanctions, so we will not block anything, and what EU prime ministers can agree to, we will accept and support,” he told reporters in English.
Hungary also joined an initiative this week by eight EU leaders to start negotiations on its membership with neighbouring Ukraine.
The EU began working on an initial package of sanctions against Russia after Putin formally recognized that eastern Ukraine was controlled by pro-Russian separatist forces in Donetsk and Luhansk on February 21. Worried about what kind of gestures will be made.
However, Hungary, a member of NATO, has refused to send lethal weapons through its territory to Ukraine on its eastern border.
In addition, Orban does not intend to cut off energy deals with Russia. “If we cancel the energy cooperation with Russia, the overhead costs for all Hungarian households will triple in a month, so I do not support this move that costs Hungarian households the war price,” Orban said.
Orban said there was “no reason to sever energy ties” with Russia, which included a 12.5 billion-euro ($13.87 billion) deal with Rosatom.
Last year, Hungary signed a new long-term gas import agreement with Russia, planning to import 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Russia on routes that bypass Ukraine.
Last month, when Orban visited Russian President Vladimir Putin, he sought to extend the deal to import 1 billion cubic meters a year.
Orban’s move has been strongly criticized by the opposition amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine on April 3, as he faces a national election in Hungary.
Orban has always touted his close relationship with Putin, saying at a joint press conference in early February that he had worked with Putin for 13 years, according to the political news network Politico. The relationship with Russia has the longest memory.”
In January last year, Hungary became the first country in the European Union to buy the Russian vaccine Sputnik V amid the coronavirus pandemic, even though the bloc has not approved that vaccine.
Editor in charge: Lian Shuhua