Budapest Sees No Point In Pursuing New Sanctions Package Against Russia

Budapest sees no "rational reason" to pursue another package of sanctions against Russia and will not give its consent to anything that is against its national interests, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday.

"Our position is crystal clear. And I do not say that only because I know where you are from. This is our position that we do not see any rational reason to go for another package of sanctions, especially when it comes to energy," Szijjarto told journalists after the meeting with Russian Foreign Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, adding that "energy is a clear red line for us. We are not ready to force Hungarian people to pay the price of a war which they are absolutely not responsible for."

The foreign minister said that Budapest will take part in the discussion on new sanctions against Russia, adding that "we will not give our consent to anything that is against our national interest."