MADRID, 17 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, defended this Monday before the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, that “the only solution” for the energy and price crisis that the EU is experiencing is to “abandon the policy of sanctions” that it is applied to Russia in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine that began in February.
Orbán has participated in a telematic meeting with Michel in which the heads of the Government of Malta, Robert Abela, have also been present; from Belfica, Alexander De Croo; from Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and from Slovenia, Robert Golob.
During the meeting, which is used by Michel to test positions ahead of this week’s meeting of leaders, the Hungarian Prime Minister made it clear that he is in favor of changing the current approach, under the premise that it would be the EU countries who they are paying the price for the pressure on Moscow.
Orbán has missed that the punishments include “proposals to reduce prices”. “We suffer from sanctions inflation and we are paying for energy with a sanction premium,” he has alleged, according to his main spokeswoman, Zoltan Kovacs.
Michel has started a round of contacts with representatives of the 27 member states ahead of a Council where Hungary will presumably make it clear again that it does not want any additional measures. Budapest’s support is key to approving any new package, which has made it necessary to put aside all punishments that affect Russian gas imports in this way, but it does not stop discussions at the level of leaders to take intervention measures in the energy market, for example a possible ceiling on the price of gas purchases in the EU.