Hungarian Parliament criticises EU sanctions and laments over Hungarians in Transcarpathia

On Friday the Hungarian parliament adopted a resolution proposed by the ruling party Fidesz in which it declared its commitment to achieving peace in Ukraine. Most of the resolution consists of criticism of the European Union’s sanctions against Russia.

Source: European Pravda, citing the resolution

The eight-paragraph resolution, which was adopted by 130 Hungarian parliamentarians, with 24 voting against, emphasised the desire for peace and called on all members of the international community to "work for the earliest possible peace and avoid actions that could lead to an escalation of the war".

Separately, the lawmakers "repeatedly condemned Russia's military aggression and acknowledged Ukraine's right to defend itself".

The next two paragraphs – the longest in the document – are a sustained critique of the European Union's sanctions, which have not "muted the war and have brought the Russian economy to its knees". Furthermore, because of the sanctions, energy prices have increased, and therefore Europe is "financing the Russian war".

"We are against Brussels' plans to expand the scope of energy sanctions. A complete ban on the import of oil and gas and a ban on the import of nuclear fuel will lead to significant disruptions in supply and even greater inflation in EU member states, particularly Hungary," the parliamentarians said.

Even in a paragraph emphasising Budapest's commitment to EU and NATO membership, it cites "public consultations" on sanctions and the April 2022 election results as evidence that "instead of arms supplies and further sanctions, peace talks should begin as soon as possible".

Separately, the resolution emphasises that since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Hungary has been carrying out "the largest humanitarian operation in its history", and the Hungarian population of Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) is "suffering greatly from the armed conflict" and from conscription, which "is dragging even more Transcarpathians to the front line".

In addition, at the behest of Fidesz, a paragraph was added to the resolution calling on Hungarian politicians to "refrain from positions and political actions that could cause significant economic damage to Hungary or lead it to war". This amendment was aimed at opposition politicians who have systematically criticised Fidesz and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Hungary claims that the supply of arms to Ukraine and the sanctions have not been measures that could help bring peace to Ukraine. Hungarian officials have also repeatedly stated that negotiations between Biden and Putin are needed if the war in Ukraine is to be resolved.

Only recently, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the leaders of the European Union are close to discussing sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.

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