Hungary PM: Sanctions on Russia made things worse
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Hungary's Prime Minister on Friday warned that European economies are rapidly heading toward recession, saying that Europe "doesn’t have the will to determine its own foreign policy" because it follows the US’ lead.
"I personally think that an economic crisis which will last for years awaits us," he said.
Victor Orban also stated that by arming and training Ukrainian soldiers on European soil, Europe is escalating the crisis.
Mentioning how his country is also part of the EU, Orban said the bloc's "very strict" sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war "made the situation worse."
"We thought it would weaken Russia, we thought it would force them to make peace. However, these sanctions had the opposite result," he added.
The EU will become more involved in the conflict as the bloc must support Ukraine's economy in the coming days, according to Hungary's PM. He added that when he sees the messages of Turkic states, they only speak in favor of peace, and thanked them for that.
Orban also expressed his gratitude to Turkey and Erdogan for helping to arrange the "very important" grain agreement reached in Istanbul this July, which reopened seaborne exports of Ukrainian grain, as well as for their role in the "only successful" attempt at mediation.
The PM also expressed gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for ensuring the energy security of his nation.
Viktor Orban claimed that as a neighbor of Ukraine, they had to "pay a price for energy supply" as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war in a speech to the Organization of Turkic States meeting in Uzbekistan.
"I would like to thank Mr. Erdogan here because one of the prerequisites for Hungary's energy security is precisely the pipeline that passes through Turkiye's territory and is currently functioning," he said.
"It is the only pipeline operating between East and West at full capacity." He also thanked Azerbaijan for being the only non-Russian gas source for Europe.
In the Organization of Turkic States, which was established in 2009, Hungary has observer status. Hungary's PM said his country would like to be a part of the Turkish Investment Fund and that it supports its creation.
An intergovernmental organization called the Organization of Turkic States was established with the goal of enhancing collaboration between nations with Turkic-speaking populations in the areas of politics, economy, science, education, transportation, and tourism.
Its members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan. Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also have observer status.