Hungary will not veto European Union sanctions against Russia, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

This week, Hungary joined the initiative of eight EU leaders to start talks on Ukraine's membership, but Hungary, a NATO member, has banned the transit of weapons to Ukraine through its territory.

In an interview with the news site mandiner.hu, Orban added that Hungary's relations with Russia were balanced and fair until very recently, but that has now changed.

He said there was no reason to sever energy ties with Russia, including a €12.5 billion deal with Russia's Rosatom to expand the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant, which accounts for about half of its electricity.

Last year, Hungary signed a new long-term gas import agreement with Russia to import 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year along routes that bypass Ukraine.

Orban also said that Europe needs a strong military and defense industry as it can no longer rely solely on the United States for its security.