“Shot in the Lungs”
Viktor Orban during a radio interview aforementionedHe said he did not expect the conflict in Ukraine to involve the European Union in an “age of wars”. Europe is paying for this “war” by imposing sanctions on Russia, but it is not working.
“At first I thought we were shooting ourselves in the foot, but now the European economy seems to have hit itself in the lungs and so now it’s suffocating everywhere,” Orban said.
The Hungarian Prime Minister noted that “you need to be vigilant” so that the armed conflict “does not spread to Hungary”. According to him, “the war continues” not only in Ukraine, but also on the “energy supply front”.
“There will be two big wars here, the first of which is already underway for stable energy prices. The second is for jobs,” he said.
He also noted that Brussels already “sees that they are wrong” and that “the policy of sanctions is hurting them more”. According to him, the situation in Hungary is further complicated by high tariffs for utilities.
Orban emphasized that Hungary has always opposed sanctions that do not help Ukraine, but only destroy the European economy.
“We should sit down and make a ceasefire with the Russians, because peace may be the only way out of this crisis,” said the head of government.
When asked who would be interested in “continuing the war” in Ukraine, Orban replied “definitely not Hungary”.
“China is winning, America is not losing, and Europe is suffering,” the Hungarian prime minister noted, noting that China has increased its imports of Russian oil, taking advantage of other countries’ refusal.
Representative of the Hungarian government, Alexandra Sentkirayi, also spoke of Europe’s “bulleting in her lungs”. At the end of June, this is how he announced a possible embargo on Russian gas, because in his opinion it is impossible to compensate for supplies from the Russian Federation.
“We want to represent the Hungarian people (at the EU Heads of State Summit in Brussels), if the Hungarian people do not accept the sanctions proposals … then we will state it sharply … I can say this. If the initial introduction of the oil embargo meant Europe, if a bullet were put in the foot, the gas embargo would practically equate to one bullet in the lungs. Not only Hungary, but in general all European countries will not be able to compensate for the large amount of gas from Russia, ”the statement said.
“Shot in the leg”
On June 19, Crimean Senator Olga Kovitidi, on her Telegram channel, compared the Lithuanian authorities’ decision to blockade Kaliningrad with “shooting yourself in the foot”. She also promised that Russia’s response would be a “boomerang” for the Baltic states, she said.
“According to the conclusion of the European Commission, Lithuania, which is included in the group of critically destitute countries, has once again put a bullet in the foot. The reaction of the Russian Federation to the decision should also be understood. Lithuanian authorities, which restrict the passage of Russian cargoes, will boomerang back to the Baltic countries,” he said.
And William Ruger, President of the American Institute for Economic Research, on Fox News on June 17. named The “shot in the foot” sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia.
The scientist noted that sanctions rarely cause states to which they are directed to “change their behaviour”.
“You cannot force heads of state to give up what they deem necessary for their vital national interests. In the case of Russia, this is the situation in Ukraine,” he said.
He pointed out that Russia has increased its revenue from the sale of energy resources in the face of sanctions pressure, as proof of the futility of the restrictions.
“We were told all these yachts we arrested and then we had to pay for their maintenance. And this is just a small example. But we see it in oil prices, in food prices. And then, before our eyes, the United States says: You know, we need to subsidize global food aid. ” added Ruger.
According to him, scientists have studied this issue for decades and found that sanctions policy often “doesn’t really help.”
“The typical picture we see from the current administration is political decisions that appear to benefit American taxpayers or people abroad, but are actually shot in the foot,” the expert said.