Hungary aims to have eight individuals removed from the European Union’s sanctions list against Russia and to secure new guarantees regarding gas transit through Ukraine before agreeing to extend the restrictions.
According to EU diplomats, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó emphasized that Budapest will not rush into extending sanctions on specific individuals.
The diplomats did not disclose the names of those Hungary seeks to remove from the sanctions list, citing the confidentiality of the discussions.
In January, Budapest delayed a decision on extending economic sanctions, which include freezing the assets of the Russian Central Bank. This agreement was reached after the European Commission agreed to involve Hungary in discussions on resuming gas transit to the European Union through Ukraine.
Russian gas supplies via Ukraine ceased on January 1, when the transit contract between Ukraine and the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom expired. Szijjártó stated that the European Commission had not fulfilled its promise, as Hungary was not invited to a meeting involving Slovakia and Ukraine. The European Commission stated that it plans to include Hungary in future discussions.
Last week, Szijjártó declared that Hungary would oppose the extension of EU sanctions targeting over 2,400 individuals and entities, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
