Orban Says It's Time to Ditch Russia Sanctions
According to the Hungarian prime minister, a new era is set to unfold for the West following the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
A new era is set to begin for the West following the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
In an interview with Kossuth Radio on Friday, Orban urged Brussels to lift the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the Ukraine conflict, emphasizing that these restrictions hurt the European Union more than they do Moscow. Budapest has consistently been among the EU capitals critical of the sanctions.
Orban argued that with Trump’s inauguration on Monday, "a new era will dawn on the Western world," calling for a reassessment of policies toward Moscow from both Washington and Brussels. He stated, “It is time to throw sanctions out the window,” suggesting that the EU's objective by 2025 should be to “establish a sanction-free relationship with Russia.”
The prime minister highlighted that one of Hungary's significant accomplishments during its European Council presidency last year was successfully putting the issue of peace between Russia and Ukraine on the agenda and maintaining that focus.
Last summer, Orban undertook what he referred to as a “peace mission” to seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, visiting key locations including Kiev, Moscow, and Beijing, as well as meeting with then-presidential candidate Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His initiative, however, faced significant backlash from EU officials, who labeled it a “problem” and insisted that Orban did not represent the views of the bloc.
Orban did concede that bringing an end to the fighting between Russia and Ukraine was a monumental challenge for Hungary, a nation of approximately 9.5 million, and expressed his intention to “pass the baton” to Trump.
During his campaign, Trump made repeated promises to resolve the Ukraine crisis swiftly but refrained from specifying how he would do so. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov remarked on Wednesday that Moscow would be willing to consider any proposals from the new US administration regarding conflict resolution.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times highlighted concerns among EU officials that Trump might reverse some of the sanctions against Russia, “simply because they were taken by [Joe] Biden.”
In contrast, Scott Bessent, Trump's nominee for treasury secretary, informed the Senate on Thursday that he would “be 100% on board for taking sanctions up – especially on the Russian oil majors – to levels that would bring Russia to the table.” He also contended that Biden’s sanctions on Moscow “were not fulsome enough.”
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
In an interview with Kossuth Radio on Friday, Orban urged Brussels to lift the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the Ukraine conflict, emphasizing that these restrictions hurt the European Union more than they do Moscow. Budapest has consistently been among the EU capitals critical of the sanctions.
Orban argued that with Trump’s inauguration on Monday, "a new era will dawn on the Western world," calling for a reassessment of policies toward Moscow from both Washington and Brussels. He stated, “It is time to throw sanctions out the window,” suggesting that the EU's objective by 2025 should be to “establish a sanction-free relationship with Russia.”
The prime minister highlighted that one of Hungary's significant accomplishments during its European Council presidency last year was successfully putting the issue of peace between Russia and Ukraine on the agenda and maintaining that focus.
Last summer, Orban undertook what he referred to as a “peace mission” to seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, visiting key locations including Kiev, Moscow, and Beijing, as well as meeting with then-presidential candidate Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His initiative, however, faced significant backlash from EU officials, who labeled it a “problem” and insisted that Orban did not represent the views of the bloc.
Orban did concede that bringing an end to the fighting between Russia and Ukraine was a monumental challenge for Hungary, a nation of approximately 9.5 million, and expressed his intention to “pass the baton” to Trump.
During his campaign, Trump made repeated promises to resolve the Ukraine crisis swiftly but refrained from specifying how he would do so. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov remarked on Wednesday that Moscow would be willing to consider any proposals from the new US administration regarding conflict resolution.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times highlighted concerns among EU officials that Trump might reverse some of the sanctions against Russia, “simply because they were taken by [Joe] Biden.”
In contrast, Scott Bessent, Trump's nominee for treasury secretary, informed the Senate on Thursday that he would “be 100% on board for taking sanctions up – especially on the Russian oil majors – to levels that would bring Russia to the table.” He also contended that Biden’s sanctions on Moscow “were not fulsome enough.”
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
