Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told his ruling Fidesz party that sanctions against Russia imposed by the European Union should be scrapped.

The pro-government daily Magyar Nemzet reported late on Wednesday that the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, a harsh critic of EU sanctions on Moscow, made the remarks at a closed-door meeting of his party members on Wednesday, before the start of the autumn political season.

Magyar Nemzet cited Orban as saying that the EU sanctions have driven up gas prices and inflation, and if these measures were to be scrapped, gas prices would drop by 50% immediately while inflation would also fall. He’s been quoted saying that without sanctions, Europe could regain strength and could avoid a looming recession, reiterating his earlier stance that the sanctions were hurting Europe more than Russia.

The statement was later confirmed by Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs.

On his social media page, Orban also posted from the party meeting: “The Brussels sanctions have pushed Europe into an energy crisis.”

In July, Orban said the EU had “shot itself in the lungs” with ill-considered economic sanctions on Russia, which, unless rolled back, risked destroying the European economy.