Hungary will not support an extension of EU sanctions on Russia in a vote on Monday, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said.
Unanimity among the EU’s 27 members is required to impose joint sanctions. In January, Hungary made a similar threat to Brussels, forcing concessions from the bloc in return for lifting its veto.
Speaking in Washington, Szijjártó said the peace talks led by US President Donald Trump must be given time by the EU.
“We will not agree to extend the sanctions on Monday,” Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovács quoted him as saying on the X platform. The sanctions are due to expire on 15 March, while a decision on their extension is due on 10 March.
Hungary also opposes the EU’s proposed aid package for Ukraine, Kovács wrote and quoted Szijjártó as saying, “We will not support spending European taxpayers’ money to prolong the war.” In January, the EU agreed a €50bn aid package.
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, threatened in January Budapest would “pull the handbrake” on the EU’s 16th sanctions package unless Brussels persuades Kyiv to restart Russian natural gas transits through Ukraine but ultimately did not block the deal.
He has consistently opposed aid to Ukraine and blames the country for economic hardship in Hungary, especially concerning oil and gas deliveries, 80% of which come from Russia.
Orbán, one of Trump’s key European allies, argues that EU sanctions have cost his country a total of €19 billion to date, more than its total annual tax revenue.
Hungary and Slovakia have condemned Ukraine’s decision to end a transit deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom, as they relied heavily on Russian supplies.
Foreign Minister Szijjártó said the European Commission had failed to honor its promise to include Hungary in talks on restarting Ukrainian gas transit, inviting only Slovakia and Ukraine instead. “They have already broken one of four guarantees,” he was quoted in Kovács’ post as saying.
The EU has imposed “massive and unprecedented sanctions” against Russia in response to the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. Sanctions have been imposed also for human rights violations and hybrid threats, said the European Council of the EU.
Also read: EU to adopt 16th set of sanctions on Russia amid Ukraine war talks
Source: tvpworld.com
