Szijjarto told a press conference that the "pro-war atmosphere" among his counterparts was gaining ground and pressure to increase arms deliveries and financing for Ukraine had ratcheted up, alongside support for new sanctions and fast-tracking Ukraine into the EU.

The Ukrainian foreign minister was personally present at the start of the meeting and demanded new sanctions, more weapons and money, and Ukraine's accelerated accession.

The Ukrainian foreign minister demanded that the EU should ban the purchase of crude from Russia, give more money to Ukraine and send more long-range heavy weaponry.

"We resisted all this. First, as far as more money and weapons are concerned, this year alone the EU has provided 10,000 billion forints worth of support to Ukraine. And they said today that this was not enough, much more is needed… But we made it clear that we will not allow Hungarians' money to be sent to Ukraine. We aren't willing to approve any further financial support or arms supplies…" he said.

"They demanded a stronger and more comprehensive sanctions package that will maximally punish the energy sector. But together with Slovakia, we prevented the approval of the sanctions package," he added.

He said the EU wanted, at the same time, to ban the import of cheap Russian gas and crude, which would "destroy Hungary's energy security" and increase utility prices 2-3-fold.

Szijjarto slammed "hypocritical" policies in Brussels, saying that while they were closely examining every single Hungarian law to check their compatibility with EU law, Brussels now severely violated the applicable laws, considering that in 2022 the EU gave Hungary and Slovakia an exemption to the ban on buying Russian crude in an unanimous vote.

"Brussels is now trying to override that unanimous European Council decision through a two-thirds vote and strip us of the right and opportunity to buy cheap Russian oil," Szijjarto said.

Meanwhile, he noted that there were no restrictions concerning Russian gas imports, and the commission was trying to "bypass members" and change that, removing the principle of unanimous consent.

"This gross violation of European rules is unacceptable. So, in cooperation with Slovakia, we decided not to support the decision on the 18th sanctions package," the minister said.

Szijjarto also made reference to the "uncertain state" of the European energy market. "No wonder the G7 could not strike an agreement concerning a cap on oil prices," he said, adding that together with Iran threatening to shut down the Hormuz Strait, "it has created such an uncertain environment in the global energy market that if a prohibition on energy purchases is imposed, that will be hugely damaging and lead to a massive energy supply crisis," he said.

He suggested that the EC should "throw out everything and not even utter the word REPowerEU… they should not even talk about an energy purchase prohibition because the EU will find itself in a tragic situation in terms of energy supplies," he added.

Orban: Brussels must drop plans to ban Russian energy

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called on Brussels to drop its plans to ban the import of Russian energy.

In a Facebook post, the prime minister said the conflict between Iran and Israel would further increase energy prices in Europe, while "Brussels would be shooting European industry in the foot" by banning Russian energy.

"Enough of Brussels’s warlike logic!" Orban said, adding that the government will represent the interests of the Hungarian people at Thursday’s EU summit.

Meanwhile, Boka: Hungary didn't join EU to adopt a federalist plan

Hungary did not join the European Union to abandon its national interests and adopt a federalist plan, Janos Boka, the EU affairs minister, told a Visegrad Group event on Monday.

Contrary to paying obeisance to the Robert Schumann model based on the German-French reconciliation and the duo's dominance of Europe, central Europeans wanted to reunite Europe by joining the bloc in 2004 and shaping legislation that determines European life, Boka said in his speech opening this year's V4 Diplomacy Academy at the National University of Public Service (NKE) in Budapest.

But, he said, now the forces of centralisation were in conflict with the idea of cooperation between sovereign member states.

Central Europe's historical experiences differed from those of western Europe, where the prevailing fear was that nationalism led to wars, he said, adding that national sentiment and the nation state "are positive concepts in central Europe" which ensured survival against dictatorship.

The minister said the current EU bureaucracy had become a political actor and was trying to govern Europe in an increasingly politicised way. Some decisions, he added, were based on satisfying the interests of left-wing forces that derive their ideology from the events of 1968.

Visegrad cooperation "is important and still viable" as a countervailing force, he said, adding that the V4 could still play an important role in better enforcing their interests, despite the differences between its member states.
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

*********************************

You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: 

Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoop’s groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary

You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters

Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop:

As an independent portal we’re grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here.