EU needs new Ukraine strategy as sanctions on Russia have not worked, Hungarian PM says

The European Union needs a new strategy on the war in Ukraine as sanctions against Russia have not worked. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said this in a speech in Romania on Saturday. He said a new strategy is needed which should focus on peace talks and drafting a good peace proposal instead of winning the war.

Orban, reelected for a fourth consecutive term in April, reiterated that Hungary- a NATO member – would stay out of the war in neighbouring Ukraine. He has said before that Hungary is unwilling to support EU embargoes or limitations on Russian gas imports as that would undermine its economy, which is about 85 percent reliant on Russian gas imports.

He said in his speech that the Western strategy on Ukraine has been built on four pillars – that Ukraine can win a war against Russia with NATO weapons, that sanctions would weaken Russia and destabilise its leadership, that sanctions would hurt Russia more than Europe, and that the world would line up in support of Europe. Orban said this strategy has failed as governments in Europe are collapsing like dominoes, energy prices have surged and a new strategy was needed now. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said we are sitting in a car that has a puncture in all four tyres: it is absolutely clear that the war cannot be won in this way.