Hungarian president: “Sanctions have hurt us more than Russia”

President Katalin Novák , in an interview with the Swiss daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ) published on Thursday, said the sanctions imposed in connection with the war in Ukraine “have hurt us more than Russia”.

Concerning the situation in Kosovo, Novák said in the interview with NZZ that though “we are, of course, primarily focused on Ukraine”, the Western Balkans should not be forgotten either, and the region’s European Union integration should be accelerated.

If something happens in Kosovo, the situation can escalate quickly, she said, adding that Hungary was hopeful that the situation would de-escalate and “everyone will keep in mind how fragile peace is”.

Novák said there were signs of “enlargement fatigue” in western Europe, but Ukraine’s and Moldova’s candidate status meant that anything was possible if the political will was there. This, however, should not mean that the Western Balkan countries will have to wait for the new candidate countries to catch up so that they can join at the same time, the president said, adding that there was “a very long road” ahead of Ukraine and Moldova.

Put to her that in the case of Serbia the principles of the rule of law did not meet EU requirements, Novák said there were “objective” conditions to EU membership, such as the economic requirements, while the rule of law was “a much more subjective” matter. Greater attention should be devoted to values, because Serbians live according to European values and the European way of life, “and they are very close to us culturally”, she said.

Concerning the state of European values in Ukraine, Novák said the new laws infringing on the rights of minority communities, including ethnic Hungarians, were “a step back”. Minority rights are part of the essence of the European community, which is why these laws “aren’t merely a bilateral problem”, Novák said, adding that there was no sign of any positive change.