Hungary will not support extension of sanctions against Russia - Hungarian MFA
Photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó (Getty Images)
Hungary will not support the extension of sanctions against Russian and Belarusian individuals at the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council meeting. According to Budapest, time should be given for US-Russia negotiations, states Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, according to HirTV.
According to the ministry's statement, Szijjártó, ahead of his scheduled meeting with the US National Security Advisor, said that European liberal politicians clearly want Ukraine to continue the war and are also pushing the Ukrainian president in this direction.
"Of course, I don’t know how much pushing in this direction is necessary, but it is certain that they are constantly encouraging and urging the Ukrainian president to continue the war," he said.
He then announced that the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council would convene next Monday and that there was already significant pressure on the Hungarian government to extend sanctions primarily targeting Russians and Belarusians, even though they are not set to expire before March 15, with a decision required by March 10.
"However, it is obvious that Europe's pro-war politicians are rushing ahead and trying to create obstacles to establishing peace, constantly seeking to swiftly adopt decisions in Brussels that could hinder the peace process," he said.
"We will not agree to extend the sanctions regime against individuals for another six months on Monday," Szijjártó stated.
As justification, he noted that there is time until March 10 to decide on the extension of sanctions and that time should be given for US-Russia negotiations. Therefore, according to him, it is important to prevent any decisions that could hinder their success.
EU’s 16th sanctions package against Russia
Notably, the ambassadors of the 27 EU countries approved the 16th package of sanctions against Russia during a meeting in Brussels on February 19. Meanwhile, foreign ministers are set to officially endorse them in Brussels on Monday, February 24 — the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported that the media had obtained details of the EU’s 16th sanctions package against Russia.
Additionally, on the occasion of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a summit will be held in Kyiv with the participation of partner countries and European officials. In a separate report, RBC-Ukraine outlined who will attend the summit in Kyiv.
