Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Budapest could support Western sanctions against Russia if US President Donald Trump uses them to punish Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for not accepting his ceasefire agreement in Ukraine. This is reported by The Telegraph, citing a statement by the head of Hungarian diplomacy, UNN reports.
Details
According to the publication, Péter Szijjártó said that the European sanctions imposed against the Kremlin were "ridiculous" and called them a "failure" that, in his opinion, caused more economic damage to Europe than to Russia.
At the same time, he admitted that Budapest may change its approach to the sanctions policy against Russia if the White House decides to impose new restrictions against Moscow after Trump's warnings.
Our decision (regarding sanctions against Russia - ed.) will be determined by the circumstances in the future. If this positive scenario (referring to a peace agreement - ed.) does not happen, then we should discuss it
When asked whether Hungary would support European Union sanctions if they were part of Trump's negotiating strategy, Szijjártó said he hoped the decision would not be superfluous and that peace would be concluded.
Reminder
In February 2025, Hungary opposed the expansion of EU sanctions against Russians and Belarusians and the allocation to Ukraine of the EU's proposed aid package of EUR 20 billion.