Orban said the European Union’s anti-Russian sanctions were ineffective

MOSCOW, 16 Sep — PRIME. The European Union’s anti-Russian energy sanctions are “extraordinary” because they are imposed by “dwarfs against giants,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

“We taught that sanctions are imposed by the strong against the weak. But if you look at energy sanctions, then we, Europe, the energy dwarfs, are imposing sanctions against the energy giant. This is an absolutely extraordinary phenomenon!” he said at a press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic .

Earlier, Orban said that 11,000 sanctions were imposed against Russia, but they were unsuccessful, and the resulting inflation and energy shortages could bring Europe to its knees. According to him, the EU authorities need to change the sanctions policy, otherwise the region itself makes its own life more expensive and complicates the situation of its own industry. His political adviser Balazs Orban stressed that the restrictions imposed did not live up to expectations, therefore, they are likely to be reviewed in the new political season.

The representative of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Tamas Menzer, also noted that a revision of the EU sanctions policy can be expected in the fall, since with the onset of cold weather, “reality is knocking on every door” in Western Europe. Hungarian government spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkirayi said that the EU sanctions are a weapon that fired in the opposite direction, as a result of which Europe became poorer and Russia richer. According to a poll by the public opinion research center Szazadveg, more than 70% of Hungarians believe that anti-Russian sanctions harm Europe, including Hungary.