Orban noted that “Hungary does not have the power to change European policy regarding the sanctions but only Germany and France can change the EU's position on the matter.”

“It is certain that the United States won the war and Europe lost. There’s a debate over whether Russia won or lost. If we talk in terms of money, we can’t say that Russia lost too much,” Orban said.

He also underlined that energy prices will fall if the sanctions are lifted.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Hungary, as one of the EU countries, imposed minor sanctions on Russia, while Russia added all EU countries to the list of unfriendly nations.

Despite the issues, Hungary remained mostly neutral to the conflict although it opposed harsh sanctions, especially in the oil sector.

Orbán, speaking at a meeting of the Hungarian governing party in Balatonalmádi in September, identified EU sanctions and restrictive measures against Russia as major causes for the 2022 inflation surge and 'global economic war'. (ILKHA)