‘Impossible’: Hungary foreign minister rules out Russian gas ban in next round of EU sanctions
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said: “When we impose sanctions, then we have to make sure that those sanctions are hurting more those against whom we impose the sanctions than ourselves.”
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Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto says it is not possible for the European Union to impose a Russian gas embargo in its next package of sanctions.
Speaking to CNBC’s Charlotte Reed on the sidelines of the OECD’s Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, Szijjarto said: “When we impose sanctions, then we have to make sure that those sanctions are hurting more those against whom we impose the sanctions than ourselves.”
“We have to have a very clear position on the war, which we do have, we condemn Russia for this military aggression. We stand with Ukraine. But we have to take into consideration reality as well,” he added.
Szijjarto said Russia currently supplies 65% of Hungary’s oil demand and 85% of its gas supplies, adding that a lack of available infrastructure means it’s not possible for the landlocked European country to swiftly reduce its reliance on Russian hydrocarbons.
The EU agreed late last month to impose a partial embargo on Russian crude in a bid to cripple President Vladimir Putin’s war machine. The watered-down deal covers Russian oil brought into the bloc by sea, with an exemption carved out for imports delivered by pipeline.
Szijjarto spoke of his frustration that Hungary had been portrayed as a country reluctant to punish Russia’s war in Ukraine after the country opposed a total ban on Russian oil.
When asked about the prospect of the EU targeting Russian gas exports in its next round of sanctions, Szijjarto said: “No, it’s impossible.”
“If you’re not able to import gas from Russia, then the country stops, economy stops, we cannot heat the houses, we cannot run the economy. Our question is who can offer a solution?” he added.
— Sam Meredith
‘We are exhausting the enemy’: Luhansk governor says fierce street fights continue in Severodonetsk
Serhiy Haidai, governor of the eastern Luhansk province, has said fierce street fighting continues in Severodonetsk as Russian forces battle for control of the city.
“The whole free Luhansk region came under heavy shelling,” Haidai said via Telegram, according to a translation.
“Fierce street fights continue in Severodonetsk. We are exhausting the enemy,” he added.
— Sam Meredith
Kremlin struggling to provide basic services to Russian-occupied territories, UK says
The ruined seaside city of Mariupol is at risk of a major cholera outbreak, according to the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense.
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Russia is struggling to provide basic public services to the population in Russian-occupied territories, with the ruined seaside city of Mariupol at risk of…
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