Budapest-Sana
The Hungarian government renewed today its refusal to support the European plan to ban Russian oil, calling for raising the issue from the agenda of the summit of European Union leaders next week.
"Budapest will not vote in favor of the oil embargo proposal as long as it makes the country's energy supply impossible," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told the Associated Press news agency.
On pushing the plan without ensuring energy security in Hungary, which gets 85 percent of its natural gas and more than 60 percent of its oil from Russia, Sjarto said, "This problem was created by the European Commission and it must present the solution," adding, "The solution must come first and only then we can Talk about penalties.
Although the European Union made exceptions for some countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, which depend specifically on Russian oil, and gave them extended timetables for gradual cancellation, the Budapest government still insists on its opposition to sanctions imposed on Russian energy.
It is noteworthy that many experts and even European politicians warn of the negative effects of Western sanctions against Russia under the pretext of its special military operation in Ukraine on the fate of Europe's economy and activities.