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Brussels — European Union Should stop adding sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine and instead promote a ceasefire and the start of negotiations, Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Oban's senior aide said Thursday.
As a bystander to the EU leaders' summit, which gave Ukraine the status of a candidate to become an EU member state, aides say that the more sanctions the EU has adopted, the more hurt the block. Said. Survived.
"In the end, Europe will be on the defeat side of the war because of economic problems. Baraz Olburn, who has nothing to do with the Prime Minister, told Reuters in an interview.
Hungary is one of the most pro-Russian EU countries that relies heavily on Russia's gas and oil. Russia has also built a reactor for Hungary. Budapest has postponed the latest package of sanctions against Moscow, including a ban on Russia's oil imports, until negotiating its own tax exemption.
"Now we are experiencing What we are doing is that the more sanctions we accept, the worse our body shape. And the Russians? Yes, it hurt them too, but they survive, and worse. They are advancing in Hungary, "said Baraz Olburn.
Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the European Union of 27 countries has imposed 6 sanctions including asset freezes and visa bans, export restrictions and freezes on Russian oligarchs and officials. Agreed on two packages. Central bank assets, bank disconnection from SWIFT messaging system, ban on Russian coal and oil imports.
However, some officials have said that individual oligarchs can live without yachts or western villas, and perhaps have already moved their liquid assets out of the EU. It claims that export restrictions may have been circumvented by China and others.
They say the freeze on the reserves of the Central Bank of Russia is not so painful, with the billions of dollars Russia gets every day because oil and gas are still flowing into Europe. When the EU stops buying Russian oil next year, some officials say crude oil could be sold and shipped by tankers to China and India.
Some argue that sanctions are working, but it will take some time before the full impact on the Russian economy appears.
But Oban said the EU should change its tactics.
"There are some achievements when we realize that we have implemented the strategy for four months, but if we continue this way, it will be bad for Europe, according to rational thinking. .. So we have to think about something. Negotiations, ceasefires, peace. Diplomacy. That is our solution, "Orban said. (Report by Jan Strupczewski, edited by Grant McCool)