Hungary would be in a much worse situation had the government not fought for an exemption from the sanctions against Russia, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told public radio. Rather than worrying about energy prices, Hungary would have to contend with energy shortages, he said. At the same time, Hungary will have to adapt to market prices, which are “basically the same throughout Europe”, Orbán said. Hungary has enough natural gas reserves to cover demand for up to five weeks, “even if no gas arrives” in the country, he said. Regarding the European Union’s sanctions policy, Orbán said: “Most bad political decisions can be mended.” Unless the policy is changed, the “sanctions surcharge will be built into the economy and will stay in the long run, becoming a part of our lives in the coming five to ten years,” he said.
Orbán said that before the election campaign in Hungary had got under way, EU countries had agreed “with the leadership of Germany and Hungary” at a summit in Versailles not to extend sanctions to energy. Germany “switched sides” in June, and Brussels imposed sanctions on oil and it has tabled similar measures against gas imports, he said.