Hungary’s foreign and trade minister said Tuesday that Budapest does not support sanctions against Russian oil and gas and will not allow transit of weapons to Ukraine through its territory.

“We cannot force the Hungarian people to pay the price of this war. That is why we do not approve of sanctions on oil or natural gas against Russia," said Peter Szijjarto after a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

He pointed out that some countries allow their territory to transport weapons to Ukraine but Hungary will not do it and added it supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

Regarding natural gas shipment from Russia to Hungary, Szijjarto said Turkiye has a great role as a transit country.

"The Minister (Cavusoglu) confirmed in our meeting that Turkey will continue this transit role. We hope that this natural gas will arrive through Turkey without any problems," he said.

The Hungarian foreign minister welcomed Turkiye's efforts for peace and an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have sought refuge in Hungary.

Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began Feb. 24, has led to thousands of deaths, millions being displaced and a broad range of sanctions on Moscow, in particular by the EU and the US.​​​​​​​

It has also spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia, ranging from technology to automotive, energy, retail and various others sectors.​​​​​​​/aa