Investing.com — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called on the European Union to end its sanctions against Russia. His call comes as the incoming U.S. administration under Donald Trump is expected to herald a “new era” starting next week.
Orban expressed his views on state radio on Friday, suggesting that it’s time to discard the sanctions and establish a sanctions-free relationship with Russia, although he acknowledged that this might take some time.
The EU has imposed 15 rounds of sanctions on Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions need to be renewed every six months. The next renewal, which requires a unanimous decision among the 27 member states, is due by the end of January. This is 11 days after Trump is set to be inaugurated.
Last month, Orban surprised other EU leaders at a summit in Brussels by stating he was not prepared to proceed with an extension of the sanctions, as reported on December 19. During the radio interview, however, Orban did not confirm if he would veto the extensions.
The Hungarian leader also suggested that the EU might need a “couple of months” to change its stance on Russian sanctions. He stated that the bloc “should be in the phase of getting sober,” but instead, it is doubling down on sanctions.
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