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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Szijjarto. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Hungary will not consent to rushing ahead with the extension of sanction on Russian individuals at the European Union’s foreign ministers meeting on Monday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote in a Facebook post on Monday (February 24, 2025)
Hungary’s top diplomat vowed on Thursday to delay extending EU sanctions against Russian individuals — including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — to avoid making Russian-US negotiations “difficult”.
The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban — one of the closest EU partners of US President Donald Trump and the Kremlin — has repeatedly called for peace talks and refused to send military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
The nationalist leader frequently delayed previous decisions on sanctions before eventually approving them.
Hungary’s foreign minister, who is in Washington for a diplomatic trip, said the country is under enormous pressure from Brussels to greenlight the extension of sanctions ahead of time.
“It is clear that Europe’s pro-war politicians are rushing ahead and trying to make peace-building difficult, constantly trying to take decisions at lightning speed in Brussels that could hinder the peace-building process” Szijjarto told Hungarian public media.
“We will block any decision from Brussels that could make these negotiations difficult,” he added.
Szijjarto did not rule out agreeing to the extension before the sanctions expire.
The EU’s sanctions on over 2400 individuals and entities have to be renewed with the backing of the bloc’s 27 member states by March 15, or they will lapse.
EU ambassadors are set to launch discussions on extending the measures for a further six months at a meeting in Brussels on Friday.
The latest threat from Budapest comes after it held out until the last minute on extending sweeping sanctions in January on Russia’s economy over a dispute with Kyiv on gas supplies.
Hungary finally caved in after getting reassurances from Brussels that it would look at Budapest’s grievances.
Other EU leaders warn that dropping sanctions on Russia before any peace deal is struck will see the West lose major leverage over Moscow.
Separately, Szijjarto also pledged to block agreement on any further EU weapons supplies for Ukraine.
The threat comes as Brussels is pushing for member states to commit to delivering a new package of key weaponry to Kyiv as soon as possible.
Diplomats say the EU’s diplomatic arm has floated a figure of six billion euros for the plan, but that is just preliminary and foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday should discuss the initiative further.
Earlier this week, Szijjarto enthusiastically welcomed talks in Riyadh between Moscow and Washington, denouncing European leaders concerns about the US’s shock policy shift, branding them “pro-war, anti-Trump” and “frustrated.”
Despite his rhetoric, Hungary agreed this week to another round of sanctions on Russia.
Those measures — including a ban on imports of Russian aluminium — are due to be formally adopted on Monday.
Published – February 24, 2025 01:12 pm IST
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Hungary to stall EU sanction decision over U.S.-Russia talks
