Hungary cannot support new EU sanctions against Russia in present form -PM Orban

FILE PHOTO - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks as he and Hungarian President Janos Ader give a statement to the media after their talks at the Presidential Palace in Budapest, Hungary, April 29, 2022. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungary cannot support the European Union's new sanctions package, which includes an embargo on oil imports, in its present form, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

Orban said the European Commission's current proposal banning Russian oil imports would amount to an "atomic bomb" dropped on the Hungarian economy, adding that Hungary was ready to negotiate if it sees a new proposal that would meet Hungarian interests.