Anti-Russian sanctions hugely harm European countries
New Delhi: Large-scale restrictive measures imposed by the European Union against Russia because of the situation around Ukraine cause great harm to Europe and Europeans, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with media on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
“If you look at the sanction policy of the European Union, not in an ideological not in a political but in a professional manner, then it’s obvious that it is extremely painful to Europe, extremely painful. Inflation is skyrocketing, energy prices are in the skies, and the price of commodities and food is increasing like hell. So this sanction policy is definitely extremely harmful to Europe and European people,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbas republics he had decided to carry out a special military operation to protect people “who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.”
Europe is struggling to contain an energy crisis that could lead to rolling blackouts, shuttered factories, and a deep recession. The primary cause: Russia has choked off the supplies of cheap natural gas that the continent depended on for years to run factories, generate electricity, and heat homes.
Germany nationalized gas importer Uniper (UN01.DE) on Wednesday and Britain said it would halve energy bills for businesses in response to a deepening energy crisis that has exposed Europe’s reliance on Russian fuel.
(Vinayak)
