Ukraine has the moral high ground. There is no doubting the mission it is on. There is only one path forward and that is to insure the survival of the Ukraine people and end the siege of their land. There is no other path. What Russia has done is unconscionable.
Ukraine didn't like the occupation of Russia in Crimea or Eastern Ukraine, but, they accepted it to avoid the exact war that Putin has brought to them. They didn't want this. They wanted to be an economic partner to their neighbors. Putin has now made that impossible at least in the short run.
The country of Ukraine has no responsibility for this aggression. This is Russian aggression on people who considered themselves neutral. The world has an example now of the imperialism Russia has planned, not just for Ukraine, but beyond this genocide. Vladimir Putin is wrong. There is just no doubt to that fact. The only remaining countries that can act to protect Ukrainians and assist in defense of the country are the countries of NATO.
It is Vladimir Putin's war and it is unjust while he kills enormous numbers of innocent people.
Budapest -Hungary (click here) cannot support the European Union's new sanctions package, which includes an embargo on oil imports, in its present form, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.
Orban said the European Commission's current proposal banning Russian oil imports would amount to an "atomic bomb" dropped on the Hungarian economy, adding that Hungary was ready to negotiate if it sees a new proposal that would meet Hungarian interests.
The European Union's executive on Wednesday proposed the toughest package of sanctions yet against Moscow for its war in Ukraine, but several countries worried about the impact of cutting off Russia oil imports stood in the way of agreement.
A handful of eastern EU countries are concerned that the halt would not allow them enough time to adapt, even though diplomats said Hungary and Slovakia would be given until the end of 2023.
Orban told state radio that Hungary would need 5 years and make huge investments in its refineries and pipelines to be able to transform its current system which relies about 65% on Russian oil....
Wars and alliances are not a matter of convenience and Orban needs to stop his bellyaching.
On 8-9 March 2022, (click here) the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer was in Hungary where he met with the Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, visited a border crossing with Ukraine and attended the Exercise Eastern Shield....
Not to state Hungary has abandoned it's responsibility. That is not the case. It is fully invested in the defense of NATO, but, it is time for it's leadership to take the defense of their land and enter into sanctions that will act to end the brutal war engaged by Russia.
An alliance is as strong as it's weakest link and Hungary needs to do it's part to end the infusion of income to Russia that will empower it further against Ukraine and NATO. This is genocide. This is not a border skirmish. Orban needs to get on board with sanctions and ask other alliance for advice as to how that gap in energy needs will be replaced to maintain it's economy. Simply walking away from EU sanctions is not in the best interest of NATO or Hungary. Orban must comply. The alliance will not abandon Hungary in it's struggle to find energy other than the fossil fuels supplied by Russia.
