Germany and Hungary oppose ban on Russian energy imports
March 10th, 2022A pro-government pundit, known for his highly opinionated comments, finds it natural that the German chancellor doesn’t want gas and oil imports from Russia to stop. He lambasts the left-wing Hungarian media, which regularly accuse PM Orbán of being subservient to Russia if he expresses similar views.
In separate statements, both Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany cautioned against extending Western sanctions on Russia to include the energy sector. Any abrupt interruption of Russian gas and oil supplies, they explained, would be too hard for their populations to bear. Last week, Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary reproached the Hungarian government for what she described as an exaggerated concern to keeping utility tariffs low. At the same time, she thanked the Hungarian population for their outpouringof support and solidarity for Ukrainian refugees, and she expressed her appreciation of the government’s decision to join Western sanctions.
In Magyar Nemzet, Zsolt Bayer quotes a statement by German Chancellor Scholz on his decision to continue ‘cooperation with Russia on energy supplies’ and remarks that most left-wing outlets have not even deemed the news worthy of mention. Whenever similar statements are made by Hungarian officials, he complains, opposition commentators immediately denounce the Prime Minister as ‘Putin’s poodle’. Bayer also dismisses the reproach ofby the Ukrainian ambassador and asks whether she ever complained when the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine were violated, or when they were threatened by far-right organisations there.