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The most vocal supporters of the sanctions have actually increased their imports from Russia, Fidesz MEP Balázs Hidvéghi writes, citing an article by the New York Times.
Balázs Hidvéghi, an MEP of Hungary’s governing Fidesz party reacted to a recent article by the New York Times (NYT) which demonstrates how Western countries have increased their imports from Russia.
According to the article, “international trade with Russia boomed this year, even as countries imposed sanctions after the Ukraine invasion”. “As one of the world’s most important producers of oil, gas and raw materials, Russia has had longstanding and lucrative trade partnerships,” NYT points out.
“Many countries have found living without Russian raw materials incredibly difficult (…) that has led to a frustrating reality for Western officials who had hoped to undercut Russia’s war effort by punishing its economy: the value of its exports actually grew after it invaded Ukraine,” the article explains.
“As you can see, Belgium has increased its average monthly imports from Russia by 138 percent, the Netherlands by 74 percent, and even Germany by 38 percent. So, to put it mildly, they also demand certain Russian products,” Hidvéghi writes in his Facebook post.
“Let us not forget that these countries are the most vocal supporters of sanctions against Russia. But now they have been exposed,” the MEP adds.
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