Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated on Tuesday that, while Hungary opposes Russia’s war on Ukraine, he does not support penalties against Moscow that include a restriction on Russian energy imports.

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“While we condemn Russia’s armed offensive and we also condemn the war, we will not allow Hungarian families to be made to pay the price of the war; and so the sanctions must not be extended to the areas of oil and gas,” Orban made the remarks in a statement following bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London.

According to him, extending the sanctions to the Russian energy industry would impose a “disproportionately large burden” on Hungary.

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The majority of Hungary’s oil and natural gas imports come from Russia, and 90% of Hungarian families heat their houses with gas, according to Orban, who stressed that the Hungarian economy “simply cannot function” without Russian oil and gas.

US President Joe Biden declared on Tuesday that his government is prohibiting Russian oil, natural gas, and coal imports into the US in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a move he cautioned could lead to a surge in domestic gas prices.

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Due to disagreements among European governments on whether to prohibit Russian energy imports, the US anticipated to act unilaterally, without consulting its European allies. The EU has a much greater vulnerability to Russian energy than the US. The United Kingdom revealed shortly before Biden’s announcement that it planned to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year.

The package of economic sanctions and export curbs already placed by the US on Russia, according to Biden, has caused “significant damage to Russia’s economy,” and the value of the Russian ruble has plummeted since Putin launched his attack on Ukraine.

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“One ruble is now worth less than one American penny,” Biden remarked. According to the President, Russia will be unable to raise the value of the currency since the West has cut Russia’s main banks off from the international financial system.