EU races against time to get Hungary to renew sanctions against Russia before deadline

European Union countries are racing against time to persuade Hungary to renew sanctions that the European Union has imposed on more than 2,400 individuals and entities, mostly from Russia, in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hungary's resistance put the EU in a situation of maximum tension less than 72 hours before the expiry of each sanction. Sanctions must be renewed unanimously every six months.

The veto was played out throughout the week at ambassadors' meetings. After failed attempts on Monday and Wednesday, the envoys met again on Thursday in the hope of finding a breakthrough. However, this did not happen.

Hungary has demanded the removal of several names from the blacklist, several diplomats told Euronews. The names were not disclosed. Radio Free Europe has previously Published by the identities of seven oligarchs, including Mikhail Fridman and Dmitry Mazepin, and the Russian sports minister as part of Hungary's request.

The stalemate puts the bloc under extraordinary strain: the sanctions expire on Saturday at 23:59 CET and there is no immediate plan B to replace them.

The ambassadors are due to meet on Friday morning, although given the pace at which time is ticking away, another attempt before then cannot be ruled out.

"We're working full speed ahead on Plan A," said a diplomat familiar with the process. "There is still time to make Plan A happen. I don't want to get into speculation."

"Fingers crossed for a successful outcome," the diplomat added.

The saga is the second time in three months that Viktor Orbán's government has put Brussels on the spot by threatening to lift the sanctions regime the bloc has been laboriously building since February 2022.

In January, it objected to sectoral sections that include sweeping bans on oil, coal, technology, finance, luxury goods, transport and broadcasting, and a €210 billion asset freeze from Russia's central bank. Budapest eventually backed down.

This time, it focused on a blacklist that includes hundreds of military commanders, government officials, oligarchs, propagandists and mercenaries of the Wagner Group and, among others, President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

The blacklist also targets hundreds of Russian companies in the military, banking, transportation, energy, diamond, aviation, IT, telecommunications and media sectors.

Hungary argues that Donald Trump's inauguration as US president and his efforts to reach a peace deal merit a reassessment of EU support for Ukraine and EU sanctions against Russia.

This position is not shared by other member states, which believe that pressure on Moscow should continue throughout the war. They also want to pursue a strategy of 'peace through strength' in order to strengthen Ukraine's position in the negotiations and establish the country's armed forces as an effective security guarantee.

Orbán disagrees with the "peace through strength" mantra and last week prevented the adoption of joint conclusions on Ukraine at the end of a special EU summit, forcing his fellow leaders to publish the attached "extract" signed by 26 countries.

"Hungary has a different strategic approach to Ukraine," said the President of the European Council António Costa. "This means that Hungary is isolated among the 27. We respect Hungary's position, but it is one of the 27. And 26 is more than one."

Significant political differences were evident during the negotiations between the ambassadors, with Hungary managing to block the renegotiation at least three times this week.

The veto came two days after US and Ukrainian officials announced significant progress in their negotiations, easing tensions between the two sides.

Ukraine has said it is ready to implement a temporary 30-day ceasefire provided Russia reciprocates, while the US has agreed to immediately lift its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev, causing consternation in Brussels.

"The ball is in Russia's court," said the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

In response to this Vladimir Putin asked for clarification on certain "nuances", such as how the ceasefire will be monitored on the ground before committing to the proposal.

The European Commission confirmed on Thursday that it is already working on a 17th package of sanctions against Russia.

euronews/ gnews.cz - RoZ