Hungary rejects Zelensky’s request for arms supplies and sanctions against Russia
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has rejected an emotional request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to supply Ukraine with weapons and support sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, according to the Associated Press.
Hungary’s reaction was in response to Zelensky’s speech to European leaders yesterday, in which the Ukrainian leader at one point addressed Orban, who is considered Vladimir Putin’s closest friend in the European Union. “Listen to me, Victor, do you know what’s going on in Mariupol?” Zelensky asked, continuing, “You have to decide whose side you’re on.”
In a video posted on social media today, Orban said Zelensky’s demands were “against Hungary’s interests” and explained that imposing sanctions on Russia’s energy sector would slow Hungary’s economy and then halt it quickly.
Hungary is the only EU country bordering Ukraine that does not want to supply arms to Kyiv and refuses to allow arms supplies to Ukraine through its territory.
Orbán also said that Hungary gets 85 percent of its gas and more than 60 percent of its oil from Russia, and that blocking Russian energy exports will force Hungarian citizens to “pay for the war.”
