Orbán laments that sanctions against Russia "destroyed EU competitiveness"

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has once again called for a review of the EU's sanctions policy towards Russia.

Orbán said that the sanctions did not end the war and did not undermine the Russian economy, while Europe, as he said, failed to replace Russian energy with other available sources.

"The sanctions engineered by the Brussels bureaucrats achieved one thing: they destroyed the competitiveness of the European economy. The time for change has come!" the Hungarian prime minister said on X (Twitter).

The EU ambassadors will soon be able to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, and Hungary will not block this decision.

The EU renews existing sanctions every six months, requiring the unanimity of the 27 member states.

The extension of sanctions has been a routine decision, and usually, political decisions on this were made at the last EU summit of the year. However, at the last summit in December 2024, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told his colleagues to wait until after Trump's inauguration.

Last week, the Hungarian government reiterated that the EU should decide to extend sanctions only after consulting with the new US administration. Viktor Orbán himself called for "throwing sanctions out the window" and building relations with Russia.