Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban admitted that he was angry with the decision of Ukrainian companies to increase transit fees for Russian oil. Due to Kiev’s actions, the level of inflation in the republic has increased, the head of government said on the radio kossuth.
He stated that Budapest is currently forced to purchase fuel at 3.5 times the market price. As a result, the country spends 48 billion forints (125 million euros) more than it could.
Against this background, Hungarian companies were forced to increase gasoline prices, and inflation in the country has increased by 0.5% in the last few months. However, Orban explained that he has “conflicting feelings” in the current situation.
As the Prime Minister noted, on the one hand, he is angry at the worsening financial situation of the inhabitants of the republic, and on the other hand, he pities the Ukrainians. According to him, Kiev has almost no money and weapons to conduct military operations. But at the same time, the head of government emphasized that the Ukrainian leadership is running “not towards peace, but towards the continuation of the conflict.”
Moreover, the Chairman of the Hungarian Council of Ministers drew attention to the enormous financial assistance provided by the European Union (EU) countries to the Kiev authorities. This is also why the economic situation in the region has noticeably worsened, Orban said.
However, he announced that now everything depends on the decisions of the USA. The attitude of Western countries on support for Ukraine may change after the American presidential elections in November 2024.
Orban concluded: “In my view, Washington has not yet decided what the current president wants to go to the elections with, a program for the further continuation of the Ukrainian conflict with the support of the West, or the political success of its completion.”
Peter Szijjártó, formerly Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations statedthat his country is dependent on Russian oil and gas resources.