“We have entered a new dimension of war risk in Ukraine, which is why we must take stricter and clearer measures to ensure peace and security in Hungary, which is in our national interest,” he said. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in Brussels. a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
This article was originally published on our sister site, Ungarn Heute.
“An agreement regarding possible EU sanctions against Russian energy supplies or their interruption will probably not be reached,” the minister said after negotiating with his European counterparts in Brussels.
We will not support sanctions that could pose a risk to Hungary’s energy supply,”
said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The idea of imposing sanctions on energy supplies from Russia to Europe has been revived. A “clearly defined group” of member states clearly holds this position, while the rest of the member states are less proactive but supportive, Szijjártó said. However, some member states, including Hungary, see sanctions on energy supplies as a red line.
The foreign minister urged his European counterparts not to make any proposals to limit or cut Russia’s energy supply in the future, because “such a decision would not lead to the unification of Europe “.
Some countries depend on Russian energy supplies. We don’t do this for fun. Energy supply is not a philosophical or ideological question, but a physical, mathematical question.
Land mission in Ukraine?
Speaking of security issues, Péter Szijjártó said that a new dimension of risks could be involved.
Proposals to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine are gaining momentum. Other member states are increasingly proposing a ground mission, which they call a ‘peacekeeping mission’.
The foreign minister made it clear that maintaining a no-fly zone would mean an air war and that sending troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers would also risk war.
We must avoid this. Hungary’s interest is clear: Hungary wants to stay out of this war, we will stick to NATO’s common position and reject proposals that risk either an air war or a protracted ground war.
Szijjártó said everything must be done to ensure that NATO does not become a fighting party and the war does not spread beyond Ukraine’s borders.
“The Hungarian government is helping to double the budget of the European Peace Facility, and arms supplies from EU member states are not being blocked, but Hungary is not supplying arms to Ukraine, and lethal weapons must not cross the country”, reiterated the minister.
Regarding refugees, Szijjártó said that while many recognize the efforts of Hungary and Poland, it is precisely these two countries that are deprived of EU funds.
The EU and its Western allies have so far imposed significant sanctions on Russia and Belarus, including the exclusion of several Russian banks from the SWIFT system, the isolation of these countries from the global financial and trading system, and the sanctioning of many Russian banks and Belarusian citizens, reports Euroactiv. Economically, the toughest decision this week will be whether or not to target Russian oil, as the US and UK have done.
featured image via Zoltán Máthé/MTI
Comments are closed.