Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called EU sanctions against Russia "a step towards war" on Friday, describing the bloc's Russia policy as dangerous.

Orban has sought to take a neutral position since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, refusing to send Kyiv military aid and opposing an 18-billion-euro EU support package for Ukraine.

Although Budapest didn't block EU sanctions against Russia after obtaining key exemptions, it has blamed both soaring energy bills and sky-high inflation in Hungary on Brussels' measures.

"It's a step towards war, if someone intervenes economically in a military conflict," Orban said during a radio interview, adding that "taking a stand" could quickly amount to "becoming an actual belligerent."

By "supplying destructive weapons, training Ukrainian soldiers on our own territory, sanctioning energy" the EU was endangering itself, he said.

Inflation in Hungary reached 21.6 percent in October, its highest level since 1996, and the third highest in the EU according to Eurostat.

Hungary's food inflation rate was the highest in the bloc in October at over 45 percent.

With recession looming -- GDP in the third quarter contracted by 0.4 percent quarter-on-quarter -- Orban's economic woes come as EU funds totalling over 14 billion euros have been withheld over corruption and rule-of-law concerns.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Xi spat with Trudeau lays bare China's frayed ties with Canada
Nusa Dua, Indonesia (AFP) Nov 17, 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping scolded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an on-camera dressing down at the G20 summit, an unusual public spat that could further complicate strained relations between the countries. Video recorded by reporters at the Bali summit for world leaders on Wednesday showed Xi appearing to upbraid Trudeau after details of talks between the two leaders were leaked to the media. Trudeau had on Tuesday raised with Xi the issue of what he called Chinese "interference" w ... read more