Hungary 'helping Putin' in the war, says Ukraine's foreign ministry
Ukraine has accused Hungary of "helping Putin" in the war, a day after the country's leader Viktor Orban said he was prepared to break ranks with the EU and buy Russian gas in roubles.
Without naming him, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement that following Orban's recent election victory, Hungary was now moving to a "next step - to help Putin continue his aggression against Ukraine, the civilised world and Christian values."
"The Hungarian leadership's reluctance to acknowledge Russia's undeniable responsibility for the Russian army's atrocities... is designed to consciously strengthen Russia's sense of impunity and encourage it to commit new atrocities against Ukrainians," he continued.
Nikolenko said Hungary's readiness to pay for Russian gas in roubles was a hostile move toward Ukraine and undermined EU unity.
Russia wants its customers to pay for gas in roubles to help shore up the Russian economy and blunt the impact of international sanctions, a move labelled as 'black mail' by several European states.
Europe has spent between €200-800 million per day on Russian gas so far this year and converting this into roubles would be a massive boost for the country.
Nikolenko pointed to the intertwined nature of Ukraine and Hungary to suggest that the two countries should cooperate, not undermine, one another.
"Ukrainians and Hungarians have centuries of historical, political, economic and cultural ties. Ukraine is home to about 150,000 Ukrainian Hungarians. At the same time, the logic that guides politicians in Budapest today, playing into Russia's aggressive policies, is detrimental to both our peoples," he added.
The spokesman described the Hungarian proposal to host peace talks between Ukraine
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