Hungarian PM Calls for Restoring EU-Russia Ties After Ukraine Conflict

RunWithRugs · 2026-03-21T19:22:33+00:00

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban advocates for rebuilding ties with Russia post-Ukraine conflict, criticizing the EU's stance on sanctions and energy imports, which he claims harm member states' economies and competitiveness.

RunWithRugs

2026-03-21 19:22:33

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(MENAFN) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has urged the European Union to rebuild mutually beneficial ties with Russia once the conflict in Ukraine concludes.

In an interview published Wednesday, Orban said that the West disrupted the European security landscape by supporting Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, despite Russia’s “very clear” warning that it views NATO’s eastward expansion as a security threat.

Orban emphasized that Hungary believes Russia should not be excluded from future European arrangements involving security, energy, and trade.

The Prime Minister has long criticized the EU’s push to phase out Russian energy imports, arguing that the policy has driven energy costs higher across member states and negatively affected businesses. According to a Deloitte report released last month, around 83% of the bloc’s industrial competitiveness indicators were stagnant or declining.

Orban has also maintained that sanctions on Russia over Ukraine have had unintended consequences, severely impacting the EU economy.

The recent escalation in the Middle East has compounded these challenges, driving oil and gas prices higher after Iran restricted Western shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

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