Hungary slows down European plan to embargo Russian oil

With our correspondent in Budapest, Florence La Bruyere

The Hungarian Prime Minister has hardened his tone on the new version of the European embargo project on Russian oil. Until now, Viktor Orban had always voted for sanctions against Russia. By dragging his feet, by criticizing them, but he had always voted for them.

This time, it is a turning point: even if he does not utter the word “veto”, the Hungarian leader does indeed veto the measures advocated by Brussels. The European Commission wanted them to be adopted before May 9, the day of European unity. But the vote is deadlocked.

” I said yes to the first five sanctions packages, but I always said there was a red line: the energy embargo. The red line has been crossed. It was with these words that Viktor Orban rejected the Russian oil embargo. Because this embargo would amount, according to him, to ” a nuclear bomb dropped on the Hungarian economy “.

Some countries, like Germany, buy only ¼ of their oil from Russia. But for historical reasons, Hungary is very dependent on Moscow. It buys 65% of its oil from him. Brussels has offered a one-and-a-half-year waiver to Hungary. Insufficient, according to Viktor Orban. It would take at least 5 years for Hungary to diversify its energy supply.

The Hungarian Prime Minister demands that the oil embargo be excluded from the measures proposed by Brussels. Otherwise, he will not vote for them. Viktor Orban also asks that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, not be affected by the sanctions. The head of the Russian Church is one of Vladimir Putin’s most fervent followers. By taking up the cause of this monk, Viktor Orban is sabotaging European unity and supporting the head of the Kremlin.

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