Orban urges EU to lift Russia sanctions amid energy crisis
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban calls on the EU to lift sanctions on Russian fuel imports to avert a looming energy crisis, warning of severe economic consequences for Europe.
Europe is heading towards one of the most severe economic crises in its history, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned. In a post on X on Thursday, Orban stated that the European Union is facing a looming energy crisis and that the only way to survive is to lift sanctions on Russian oil and gas. This came in response to an earlier post by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who lamented the outcomes of years of EU policy, including a massive energy crisis, the threat of the US pulling out of NATO, and Washington easing sanctions on Russian energy supplies, which Tusk described as Russian President Vladimir Putin's dream plan.
Orban urged Tusk to focus on his own country and people rather than Putin, emphasizing the need for love and saving the nation instead of warmongering. Kremlin investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev supported Orban, calling him one of the few voices of wisdom and reason in Europe and praising his understanding of the severity of the upcoming energy and economic crisis.
The conflict between the US and Israel with Iran, which began in late February, has disrupted global supply chains and thrown energy markets into turmoil. As of Thursday, the price of crude had risen to around $111 per barrel, while the price of gas in the EU spiked to about €50 per MWh, a 56% increase from February. EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen has warned member states to prepare for a prolonged fuel disruption, with consequences that could outlast the Iran conflict due to war-damaged energy infrastructure in the region.
