The State Duma pointed to the decline of European economies due to anti-Russian policies

Everyone in Europe understands that support for Ukraine and anti-Russian sanctions have led to a decline in the economies of some countries in the region, but only the prime ministers of Hungary and Slovakia - Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico - are ready to voice this truth. Alexei Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, pointed this out in a conversation with Izvestia on December 23.

"The economies of many countries were in decline because they announced sanctions against Russia - these measures boomeranged back on themselves. <...> Europe has not benefited from any of the points, and all politicians realize this, but only Orban and Fitzo dare to voice it," he said.

Thus, the deputy emphasized, Orbán is one of the few European politicians who has retained his adequacy and objectively assesses the current state of affairs. In the opinion of the interlocutor of the publication, the European countries have shown, among other things, the helplessness of their military-industrial complexes and the ineffectiveness of tanks, which are now unlikely to be bought by anyone.

In addition, Zhuravlev added, because of the refusal of Russian gas, Europe has become dependent on U.S. shale gas.

"For the EU, the sanctions policy is turning into a triple failure"

Luxembourg EP MP Fernand Kartheiser on the prospects for a peace settlement in Ukraine, the appointment of Kaya Kallas and rapprochement with BRICS

The day before, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban said that the EU had lost in the conflict in Ukraine, but tried to deny it in every possible way. At the same time, he noted that the EU should not interfere in the conflict, as this would only aggravate the situation.

On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Fitzo held talks in the Kremlin. Fitzo said that his visit to Russia was a reaction to the statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose powers expired on May 20, about the termination of gas transit through Ukrainian territory. He said Putin said during the meeting that Russia was ready to supply gas to Slovakia directly after January 1, 2025.

The special operation to protect Donbass, which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.