Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the energy crisis in Europe would not be resolved without supplies from Russia, and criticized the European Union (EU)'s energy sanctions strategy as ineffective.
In an article published in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Mr. Orbán said that efforts to isolate Russia with successive sanctions packages have failed to achieve the goal of ending the conflict in Ukraine.
Without Russian oil and gas at reasonable prices, we will not be able to overcome this crisis," he emphasized.
According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, while the US has started dialogue with Russia and allowed India to continue importing Russian oil, the EU still refuses to consider the possibility of easing energy sanctions against Russia.
Mr. Orbán believes that Europe's strategy - both sanctioning Russia and avoiding direct negotiations - is still maintained even when President Donald Trump's administration has stopped military and financial support for Kiev.
The Hungarian leader warned that the failure of this strategy is having major consequences for the European economy, especially as the Middle East situation continues to escalate tensions, pushing global energy prices up.
According to him, Europeans have been suffering from this situation for many years: electricity and gasoline prices have continuously increased, while the once very strong industry of the continent is rapidly weakening.
Europeans are witnessing industries being sacrificed for a war they cannot win," Mr. Orbán said, while warning of the risk of millions of jobs in Europe disappearing if the energy crisis lasts.
