The Hungarian government will call for further talks if in its view the latest EU sanction proposals threaten Hungary's energy supply. It is unacceptable to make the Hungarian people pay the price of war, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Hungary's public radio (MR1) on Sunday.

Hungary deems it important to maintain European unity, and has always been involved in joint European decisions, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview broadcast on Sunday, adding that at the same time, „we must not make any hasty decisions” and we need calmness and levelheadedness.

European unity cannot be achieved through sanctions that would jeopardise energy supplies, he explained, adding that Hungary and many other countries have adopted a position that the sanctions cannot endanger energy supply.

Regarding the sixth package of sanction proposals presented by the European Commission on Saturday, Mr Szijjarto said the Hungarian government has not promised a quick response. The package will undergo a more thorough analysis and will only be backed if it does not threaten the security of Hungarian energy supply, he added. The package includes, among other things, restrictions on imports of iron and steel products, the minister noted.

Peace comes first

The devastation in Ukraine is enormous, which underlines the responsibility of the Hungarian government to ensure that the country does not drift into war, Mr Szijjarto said, pointing out that this is also the reason behind the government’s clear decision not to allow any arms shipments to pass through Hungary to Ukraine. The FM expressed his hope that the talks between the Ukrainian and Russian sides will bring us closer to „putting an end to the killing.” Now is the time to make peace, he stressed, adding that the time to analyse earlier measures and the reasons for the outbreak of war will only come „when peace is restored in our neighbourhood.”