The sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia, particularly the restrictions on state-affiliated media, including RT, breach the bloc’s own proclaimed principles, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.

Speaking exclusively to RT’s Saskia Taylor, the top diplomat condemned the restrictions imposed on the network, stating they only expose the bloc’s double standards.

“This is double standards and hypocrisy because those Europeans who love to teach everyone, they love to refer [to] certain values, among them freedom of speech and freedom of media. And they usually attack others based on those principles,” Szijjarto said.

“But when they look at themselves, they cannot be too self-confident either,” he added.

Budapest has consistently opposed unilateral restrictions imposed on Russia, with the top diplomat expressing hope that sanctions would ultimately be lifted. Hungary has been a particularly vocal opponent of measures targeting Russia’s energy sector, arguing that EU restrictions are counterproductive.

“For us, sanctioning church, sports, media, energy always raises serious question marks. And I do hope that soon we will get rid of all these sanction measures because they have caused more harm to the European Union than to Russia, I guess,” Szijjarto stated.

The EU and Canada banned RT and other Russian outlets early in the Ukraine conflict. Prior to that, the bloc and individual members, namely Germany, repeatedly took steps to restrict Russian state-affiliated media, accusing the outlets of acting as a propaganda arm for the country’s government. Later in the conflict, the US government restricted RT as well. The US State Department claims that RT has played a major role in eroding support for Ukraine around the world.