Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described the threat made by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban as a manifestation of “Western democracy.”Zakharova quoted Tusk as saying that if Orban vetoes the extension of sanctions against Russia, it will be clear that the Hungarian prime minister is playing in the team of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the game of European security and future.
Prior to this, Orban had stated that the total damage to Hungary caused by the sanctions against Russia amounts to more than 18 billion euros, prompting Budapest to “hit the brakes”and urge the European Union to reassess the necessity of extending the sanctions. According to Orban, the sanctions against Russia will only be extended if Ukraine agrees to stop the gas transit stoppage, ceases attacks on the TurkStream and does not threaten oil transit.
Orban also pointed out that the sanctions have failed to end the armed conflict, weaken the Russian economy, or provide Europe with an alternative to Russian energy from other available sources.