Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Ukraine and Brussels of trying to inflict an economic blow to Hungarian families by imposing restrictions on Russian energy imports. He said this in an interview with Kossuth radio, as quoted by Hirado.hu and Rador Radio România.
“We must stop these Ukrainian intentions,” Orban said.
According to him, the Brussels plan on Russia does not help Ukraine, but puts EU families, including Hungary, in danger. He argues that instead of reducing energy prices, European governments are “deliberately raising them” to hit Moscow, sacrificing the welfare of their own citizens.
Orban noted that if the EU, at Kyiv’s request, completely bans the purchase of Russian gas, Hungary will pay 800 billion forints (2 billion euros) more for energy annually.
“If Ukrainians implement their plan, electricity bills will double and heating bills will quadruple,” he said.
Charges of espionage
Orban also said that Ukrainian espionage activities in Hungary had intensified, in particular with a view to influencing public opinion on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. According to him, this is accompanied by a campaign of disinformation, which, in the prime minister’s opinion, has also involved some Hungarian opposition forces.
He mentioned a video with the politician Peter Magyar, who is associated with Ukraine in this context.
In addition, Orban commented on the initiative of 26 MEPs who called for a freeze on EU funding for Hungary, and called it political pressure due to Budapest’s unwillingness to support the extension of sanctions or Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
“I urge all Hungarians to have their say on the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the EU. Let’s not let others decide for us,” Orban concluded, referring to the Voks 2025 poll.
