Hungary dropped its veto threat, allowing the European Union to extend its sanctions against Russia for another six months. This move from Budapest ended a brief political crisis that had been straining relations with Brussels.
This development was achieved by introducing a phrase about the “integrity of energy infrastructure” to address Budapest’s concerns during the foreign ministers’ meeting.
The sectoral sanctions, which include comprehensive bans on oil, coal, technology, finance, luxury goods, transportation, and broadcasting, as well as the freezing of 210 billion euros of assets from the Russian Central Bank, were set to expire on January 31 if unanimity could not be reached.
In the days leading up to this critical deadline, Hungary had intensified its critical rhetoric, arguing that Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States warranted a broader review of the bloc’s policy and the way sanctions are renewed every six months.
In a radio interview, Orbán stated, “What is now closed needs to be reopened. This is not an issue for Ukraine, it’s an issue for Europe, for Central Europe.”
“If Ukrainians ask for help, for example, if they want sanctions against Russians, then let’s reopen the gas transit routes and allow Central European countries, including Hungary, to get the gas we need through Ukraine.”
Diplomats in Brussels condemned this argument, criticizing Hungary’s “transactional” diplomacy, which it has frequently employed since Russia’s comprehensive invasion of Ukraine. However, Hungary had not previously threatened to derail the entire sanctions regime, meticulously crafted over 15 different packages.
After the EU ambassadors’ meeting on Friday yielded no results, one diplomat remarked, “The threats are taken seriously.”
https://sanctiontrace.com/us-sanctions-will-not-affect-russian-oil/
