On September 28, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the European Union had imposed anti-Russia sanctions on all people of member states of the bloc.
The EU did not ask Europeans about their views on sanctions but forced them to pay the price because the restrictions imposed on Russia were counterproductive - RT quoted Mr. Orban as saying in a series of posts on Facebook. He warned that EU sanctions on Russia's military campaign in Ukraine would cause great damage to Europe. The restrictions have made Europeans poorer as energy prices skyrocketed.
Its time to be honest about that with our American friends. Until it is too late, the Hungarian Prime Minister said, pointing to the role of the US in the global sanctions against Russia.
Mr. Orban argued that sanctions against Russia have not been able to end the conflict in Ukraine and seem to have hurt Europe more than Russia.
Hungary depends heavily on Russian energy supplies. Budapest has also been one of the strongest opponents of Brussels' energy sanctions against Moscow, and especially the ban on Russian oil imports until it is exempted by the EU. Hungary has declared a state of emergency due to tightening energy supplies this summer.
On September 28, Prime Minister Orban confirmed plans to hold national consultations on EU sanctions against Russia, saying he asked "everyone to speak up, because we can only end the energy price increase by acting together". Hungary is the first EU country to do so.
The EU is facing an energy crisis. Since Russia began its military campaign in Ukraine in late February, gas prices have climbed to a record high in Europe. At the end of July, EU member states agreed on a plan to reduce gas consumption by 15% in the coming months, aiming to enhance the bloc's energy security as the EU looks to wean itself off Russian energy dependence.
Russia has also reduced gas exports to Europe, citing technical problems related to sanctions imposed by the West on Russia's military campaign. A series of leaks on Russia's Nord Stream gas pipeline - believed to be the result of a deliberate attack - has further increased gas prices in Europe.
The price increase has caused some EU countries, including Germany - the EU's economic power - to fall into a difficult situation for quite a long time. In early September, Germany's largest gas importer, Uniper, requested additional financial support from the government due to difficulties in replacing Russia's shortage of gas supplies despite previously receiving billions of euros in relief.
The European Nuclear Research Center (CERN) also admitted in September that the ongoing energy crisis threatens the operation of the world's largest accelerator, which could be turned off to reduce the burden of energy consumption at peak demand.
