A swift ceasefire in the on-going conflict between Russia and Ukraine is the only way to avoid a crippling economic crisis, Balazs Orban, political director for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has said.
“They [western countries] want to fight the war. They see that they can beat Putin, they can occupy the Kremlin and that’s their goal. At the beginning of the conflict, at least in the media, that was the mainstream opinion," Orban, who is no relation to the prime minister, said. “But I would make a bet with you [on] how it will look in four months’ time… more rationality will come up."
According to the Hungarian official, the harsh reality of skyrocketing utility costs, gas prices and political destabilization is going to become "an everyday problem" unless a peace agreement is reached.
He noted that the main goal should be negotiations and ceasefire, not escalation.
“We’re not being a troublemaker, but if you try to do politics without reality, you will just lose people’s confidence,” the Hungarian said.
Hungary has been among the most vocal opponents of harsh anti-Russian sanctions in the wake of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, with the country's prime minister arguing that some of the measures undermine his nation's energy security while also being ineffective in ending the conflict. Budapest has also resisted the EU's initiative to ban Russian energy products, with Orban pointing at a lack of consensus among the European leaders regarding the sanctions.
Calls for a ceasefire come as Moscow highlighted Kiev's unwillingness to make a reasonable peace offer. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, part of Ukraine's reluctance to come forward for negotiations is due to on-going pressure from the West that continues despite the economic hardships and rising inflation in the US, Eurozone, Canada, and other countries backing anti-Russian sanctions.