Peter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign affairs minister, argued that sanctions targeting Russia will not force Moscow into a deep economic stumble. This assessment was reported by RIA Novosti. He questioned who bears the heavier burden of Western penalties, whether the measures achieve meaningful outcomes, and whether they move Russia toward a weaker footing on the global stage. In his view, the notion that Russia should be economically brought to its knees remains a debated objective, and his assessment suggests that the desired impact has not materialized. He stressed that the discussion about sanctions within the European Union does not focus on their effects on Russia, implying a lack of consensus on the broader consequences inside the bloc.
Earlier, Szijjártó reiterated Hungary’s positive stance on its energy partnership with Russia. He noted that Budapest has consistently received natural gas on schedule under the existing contract and argued that there was no need to alter the agreement, a framework he described as having endured for decades.
On 6 September, he emphasized Hungary’s reliance on Russian oil and gas, stating that there is currently no viable alternative to ensure the country’s energy security. He warned that abandoning the Russian supply would create significant uncertainty about future developments. He also commented that if Hungary were to withdraw from the deal on Russia’s nuclear power plant project at Paks, it would complicate efforts to renew the program while keeping costs and timelines manageable.
Earlier statements from Hungary touched on the guarantees of continuous gas supplies to Russia from the Russian Foreign Ministry, underscoring the ongoing energy interdependence between the two nations. [citation]