Steven N.Viktor Orbán’s claims that the sanctions against Russia are bad and have not shaken the country is a classic example of Russian propaganda, writes Ukrainian foreign affairs spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko on his Facebook page.
The Hungarian Prime Minister spoke at the annual summer gathering at Tusványos, Romania on Saturday about a wide range of topics, including how he thinks the West has miscalculated, that the sanctions and the arming of Ukraine are bad policies, and that Ukraine will not be able to defeat the Russians.
But Nikolenko counters that:
The sanctions are effective, and have significantly reduced the ability of the Russian military to wage war against Ukraine. Providing arms to Ukraine saves Ukrainian lives. If sanctions and weapons were ineffective, the Kremlin would not have invested such huge resources into discrediting them, and would not have tried to stop them.
He also argued that Europe is not experiencing an economic crisis because of the sanctions, but because Russia is waging a hybrid war:
The Russian Federation attacks Ukraine with cruise missiles and Europe with high natural gas prices. These are all elements of a single Russian plan to undermine peace and prosperity in the countries of Europe.
Turning a blind eye to Russia’s crimes in Ukraine will not restore peace, believes the Ukrainian spokesperson:
Without peace and stability in Ukraine, there will be no peace and stability in Hungary either, or in Europe in general. Europe’s strategy must be based on decisive joint action and unity to help end the war and hold Russia accountable for its crimes. We are grateful to our European partners for standing steadfast. Together we will surely defeat Russia, despite the Hungarian Prime Minister’s fears of the ‘asymmetrical advantage’ of the Russian army.
-he wrote. [444]
