BUDAPEST: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned the European Union against making a big mistake by refusing from talks with Russ...
BUDAPEST: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned the European Union against making a big mistake by refusing from talks with Russia on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.
According to Orban, the Ukrainian crisis can be settled only with the participation of other countries. "This can be achieved only through involving external forces. Someone must speak with the Russians about peace. It can be the United States or Europe. But Europe doesn’t want to engage in talks with Russia, which is a catastrophic mistake," he said in an interview with the M1 television channel.
He noted that once the United States has resumed contacts with Russia, it will "address the issue of the future of Ukraine and its economic resources" while Europe will stay on the sidelines and will not be able to maintain dialogue "even on its own future."
"That is why we want the European leaders to engage in direct contact with the Russians to begin talks and reach an agreement on the European security system between Russia and Europe," the prime minister explained.
He said that he thinks that when the conflict is over Ukraine should remain independent and sovereign but this doesn’t mean however that it should be admitted to the European Union. "Let us sign agreements with Ukraine that would be useful for it but would not jeopardize us. Hence, no EU membership," Orban emphasized.
He also stressed that each European country has the right to decide where from and how it receives energy sources, thus confirming that Hungary is against the European Union’s plans to refuse from Russian oil and gas. Otherwise, the economies of European countries, including Hungary, "will be ruined and their households will go bankrupt," he warned.
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