Soaring energy prices and diminishing competitiveness are the \u201ccost of bad decisions\u201d by the bloc\u2019s leadership, the Hungarian PM has said<\/p>\n
The EU\u2019s sanctions on Russia have ended up \u201ccrushing\u201d the bloc itself, diminishing its economic competitiveness, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said.
\nBudapest has consistently opposed Brussels\u2019 policies on Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022, including the sanctions.
\nIn a post on X on Sunday, Orban wrote: \u201cBrussels promised sanctions would crush Russia. Instead, they crushed Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd3b Brussels promised sanctions would crush Russia. Instead, they crushed Europe. Energy prices exploded, competitiveness collapsed, and Europe is falling behind. This is the cost of bad decisions. Negotiations are needed, not escalation. pic.twitter.com\/OiUaHI6UiF\u2014 Orb\u00e1n Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) December 21, 2025 <\/p>\n
\u201cEnergy prices exploded, competitiveness collapsed, and Europe is falling behind,\u201d he said, describing the economic trends across the EU as the \u201ccost of bad decisions.\u201d
\nOrban argued that the bloc should engage in negotiations with Moscow instead of doubling down on escalatory policies. Earlier this month, he said the EU is preparing for war with Russia by 2030, with a number of member states shifting toward a \u201cwar economy.\u201d
\nSpeaking to NBC News last month, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the EU failed in its attempts to contain Russia through sanctions. He made the remark several weeks after the bloc introduced its 19th round of sanctions, which Moscow has called illegal and self-defeating.
\nIn a post on X earlier in December, Russian presidential envoy and senior negotiator Kirill Dmitriev wrote that Germany\u2019s economic woes are the result of Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s \u201cstupid & illegal decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Orban casts himself and allies as \u2018EU Ghostbusters\u2019 (VIDEO)<\/p>\n
Speaking at a political convention a day earlier, Merz acknowledged that Germany has lost its economic competitiveness. \u201cWe are falling behind, and this process has accelerated in recent years,\u201d he said.
\nThe German economy contracted in 2024, preceded by a 0.3% decline in GDP in 2023. Near-zero growth is projected for this year.
\nFollowing the decoupling from inexpensive Russian oil and gas, energy prices have risen considerably in much of the EU.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Soaring energy prices and diminishing competitiveness are the \u201ccost of bad decisions\u201d by the bloc\u2019s leadership, the Hungarian PM has said The EU\u2019s sanctions on Russia have ended up \u201ccrushing\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t