Friday14 February 2025
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Hungary has set a condition for extending the EU sanctions against Russia.

Next week, the European Union foreign ministers will discuss the extension of sanctions against Russia. Hungary may veto the decision if its demands are not met.
Венгрия поставила условие для продления санкций ЕС в отношении России.

Next week, the foreign ministers of the European Union will discuss the extension of sanctions against Russia. Hungary may block the decision if its demands are not met.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing a statement from Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on his Facebook page.

"The formula is clear: we cannot continue to pay for someone else's war while simultaneously ignoring the risks to our energy security. Ukraine and/or the EU must provide guarantees that there will be no obstacles to gas and oil supplies to Hungary in the future," the Hungarian minister wrote.

According to him, he conveyed Budapest's position to the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, during a phone call with her today.

"We need to convince not us, but to obtain guarantees from the Ukrainians," he added.

As a reminder, on January 1, 2025, Ukraine ceased the transit of Russian gas to Europe as the contract with Russian "Gazprom" expired. Hungary and Slovakia were the main recipients of Russian gas in the EU. Therefore, Ukraine's decision has sparked a wave of criticism from these neighboring countries.

For instance, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to create obstacles for Ukraine's EU accession and to stop supporting Ukrainian refugees if gas transit is not resumed.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also threatened Ukraine with consequences for halting the transit. He has now taken action and wants to block the extension of European sanctions against Russia. As stated by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, such a move by Orban will demonstrate that he is aligned with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.