Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has joined his Slovak counterpart criticized the European Union’s decision to impose sanctions on Russia as a result of the Ukraine crisis. Orban has guided Hungary into ever-closer cooperation with Russia, including an agreement to build new nuclear power blocs using Russian technology and finance. “The sanctions policy pursued by the West, that is, ourselves, a necessary consequence of which has been what the Russians are doing, causes more harm to us than to Russia,” Mr Orban said in a radio interview. “In politics, this is called shooting oneself in the foot.”
EU foreign ministers were due to meet Friday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Orban said he would do what he could to bring about a ‘rethink’ of the policy, though he admitted Hungary did not carry much weight in such matters. He claims EU compensation should be provided to European companies hurt by the sanctions.
