Putin's ally Hungary faces loss of voting rights in the EU - FT

The latest attempt by Hungary, the most pro-Russian EU member, to blackmail others to obtain preferences for the Kremlin has pushed the patience of other capitals to the limit, the FT writes.

Many officials are once again openly discussing using the Article 7 procedure against Hungary, the strongest option for depriving a member state of its voting rights. They are fully aware of the political problems and consequences of such a step.

If Hungary pulls the same trick in July, when economic sanctions against Russia, including those freezing the Kremlin's assets in Europe, are up for renewal, calls for decisive action against Budapest could reach a climax, the FT notes.

Extension of sanctions

According to the FT, EU ambassadors argued all day on March 13 with Hungary's envoy to Brussels, who demanded that oil and banking oligarch Mikhail Fridman and seven other people selected by Budapest be removed from the list, otherwise, he would refuse to approve the extension of the sanctions.

Faced with the possibility of lifting the asset freeze and travel ban on all sanctioned individuals, including Vladimir Putin and billionaires with luxury yachts in European ports, the remaining 26 agreed to move forward, deciding to remove three individuals from the list, officials said.

The sanctions against Fridman remain in place. Gulbakhor Ismailova, the sister of well-known businessman Alisher Usmanov, businessman Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, and Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev were removed from the list.

The fourth, businessman Vladimir Rashevsky, was excluded on weak legal grounds, not because of pressure from Budapest. Three more were removed from the list as they died.

Hungary is the only neighboring EU member state that Ukrainians consider hostile. Orbán's pro-Russian stance blocks aid to Kyiv constantly.