"By opposing sanctions against Russia, Viktor Orban is making a mistake. We disagree with Hungary in that regard," Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz told TVN24 on Monday.
Hungary is opposing imposing sanctions on Russian energy. Budapest also decided earlier on not to allow transit of weapons to Ukraine through Hungary.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda told TVN24 on Saturday that he found Orban's attitude hard to understand and that Hungary would pay a very high price for his policy.
Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz commented on Duda's words on Monday in "Rozmowa Piaseckiego" in TVN24. "He is the head of our state, and this is the current policy of the Polish state," he said.
According to Przydacz, "Viktor Orban is making a mistake with his policy on Ukraine, and on Russia". "I think this a shortsighted policy, probably conditioned by internal affairs, including the campaign," he added, referring to the upcoming elections in Hungary.
He stressed that Poland "is pursuing a completely different policy". "We don't have to always agree with partners and allies. Sometimes we disagree with Germany, and in this case we disagree with Hungary. Hungary isn't the navel of the world. EU consists of 27 countries. A decision made by Germany have a completely different magnitude than that of Malta. Hungary is somewhere in between," he said.
Programme host Konrad Piasecki pointed out that, since 2015, Polish diplomacy has treated Hungary exactly as "the navel of the world".
"As part of the European policy, and being pressured by the European institutions, a certain tactical alliance with Budapest has been forged. It's no surprise gicen that both countries were being pressured. However, I've never been to Budapest to discuss eastern policy, because I don't really see similarities in approach," Przydacz said.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24