The European Union risks allowing the sanctions against Russia to expire, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delays the renewal of the restrictions. TSN reports. This information comes from Kontrakty.UA.
This was reported by Bloomberg.
The EU is facing yet another potential dispute with Orban due to his refusal to sign the extension of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
On January 22, the Hungarian Prime Minister criticized the European sanctions regime, which must be renewed every six months and is set to expire on January 31. Orban stated that 15 rounds of sanctions are harming the European economy. Earlier in December, the politician mentioned that he wanted to wait for the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump before making a decision about renewing the sanctions regime.
As for Trump himself, in the early days of his presidency, he showed no signs of intending to ease sanctions against Moscow. Furthermore, on January 22, the American leader stated that he would likely impose additional measures if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not come to the negotiating table regarding Ukraine.
EU ambassadors will meet several times in the coming days to see if they can push forward the update, which has so far been a routine discussion but requires unanimous support from all 27 member states of the bloc. Several diplomats indicated that there is currently no "Plan B" for expanding sanctions if Orban continues to block them.
If European diplomats cannot agree on the extension of sanctions this week, the issue will be referred to the foreign ministers. According to sources, the foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels on January 27. One informant mentioned that the EU still hopes to resolve the matter this week.
The publication reminded that Orban had previously threatened other measures related to Ukraine before ultimately backing down.
"It’s time to throw sanctions out the window and create relationships with the Russians that are free of sanctions. This is still far off, but we need to work on it," said the head of the Hungarian government on a radio broadcast on January 17.
Despite the lack of extension of restrictions, the EU continues to discuss the 16th round of sanctions. Most of these plans will also require Hungary's support.
European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis stated on January 22 at a forum in Davos that the EU must explore additional sanctions to reduce Russia's revenues from energy exports.
"Currently, imports of Russian liquefied natural gas are actually increasing, so there are ways we can still exert greater pressure on Russia," Dombrovskis said.
It should be noted that the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, previously stated that there are currently no conditions for lifting sanctions against Russia, as Putin has not changed his plans.