HUNGARY
Viktor Orban – Hungarian President
Sanctions on Russian oil would be an “atomic bomb” on the Hungarian economy, Victor Orban told Hungarian Kossuth Radio. The Hungarian President repeated that the oil embargo is a “red line” for his government and explained that overhauling the country’s energy system would take five years and require significant funds. Orban also said that the conflict in Ukraine “is not our war.”
CHINA
Zhao Lijian – Foreign Ministry spokesman
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday that Japan exaggerates China threat. He believes that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s statement that “the invasion of Ukraine could be replicated in East Asia” is just an excuse for Japan’s military boosting. The ministry’s spokesman also expressed his doubts about Japan’s real interest in peace and stability in East Asia and said that if Japan really wants peace, it should stop provoking a confrontation between big powers.
EU
Josep Borrell – European Union High Representative
Should the EU fail to reach an agreement on the Russian oil embargo “by this weekend, I will have to bring together the Council of Foreign Ministers next week to have a political agreement” Josep Borrell – European Union High Representative said on Friday in Florence, Italy. He also stressed that the bloc is “working to reach an agreement between all European countries” on the aforementioned issue.
RUSSIA
Foreign Ministry spokesperson
“Scenarios for our possible use of nuclear weapons are clearly spelled out in Russian doctrinal documents. They are not applicable to the implementation of the tasks set during the special military operation in Ukraine,” a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
