BRUSSELS — Hungary and Slovakia have delayed progress on the latest round of sanctions against Russia, demanding the withdrawal of a separate proposal aimed at banning Russian gas imports first.
During a meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Brussels on Monday, Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, announced that Hungary has effectively “blocked” the sanctions package, aligning with Slovakia to impede the new measures. If enacted, this would mark the 18th sanctions package since the onset of the full-scale invasion.
“This would undermine Hungary’s energy security and violate the Council decision granting us exemption from the Russian oil ban,”
he stated. The European Commission recently introduced legislation intended to eliminate Russian fossil fuels by 2027, albeit with certain exceptions. Szijjártó emphasized that both Budapest and Bratislava are seeking the removal of this policy as a condition for their support of the 18th sanctions package.
The proposed sanctions would target the Nord Stream pipelines and ban imports of fuel refined from Russian crude in countries such as India, China, and Turkey. According to EU regulations, unanimous approval from all 27 member states is required for new sanctions to be adopted.
Despite Hungary’s historical resistance to new restrictions on Russian energy, the government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has previously refrained from vetoing earlier sanctions packages.
A senior EU diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to provide insight into closed-door discussions, remarked, “I don’t read this as a veto. This is something the Slovakians had previously said they would need to discuss, so this doesn’t change anything.”
The diplomat expressed hope that the discussions conducted that day would facilitate a viable agreement during the upcoming European Council meeting on Thursday, where EU leaders are set to convene in Brussels.
A second diplomat confirmed that the intention is to negotiate a resolution during the summit. The agenda for the EU leaders’ discussions will prominently feature foreign policy, with a particular focus on support for Ukraine and the proposed restrictions against Russia.