BY Rosemary
Hungary has threatened to block a new package of European Union sanctions against Russia and derail a major financial assistance plan for Ukraine, escalating tensions within the 27-nation bloc as it prepares to mark the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion.
EU foreign ministers are scheduled to convene in Brussels on Monday to discuss what would become the bloc’s 20th round of sanctions against Russia. European officials have been aiming to finalize the measures in time for Tuesday, which marks four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
But Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a video message posted Sunday that Budapest would not support the sanctions package. He accused Ukraine of deliberately obstructing the resumption of Russian oil shipments to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline.
“We will not consent to the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions, because we have previously made it clear that until the Ukrainians resume oil shipments to Hungary, we will not allow decisions that are important to them to be approved,” Szijjártó said.
Under EU rules, sanctions require unanimous approval from all member states, giving Hungary effective veto power. The threat underscores deepening fractures within the bloc over how to balance continued pressure on Moscow with the economic interests of individual member states.
The dispute centers on the Druzhba pipeline, a Soviet-era artery that transports Russian crude oil across Ukrainian territory into Central Europe. Shipments to Hungary and Slovakia have been disrupted since Jan. 27. Ukrainian officials say Russian drone attacks damaged infrastructure linked to the pipeline, while Hungarian officials have suggested Kyiv bears responsibility for not ensuring continued flows.
The interruption has heightened tensions between Budapest and Kyiv at a time when Ukraine is struggling to defend its energy grid from sustained Russian missile and drone attacks. In recent months, strikes have battered Ukraine’s power infrastructure, leaving large areas without electricity and heat during one of the coldest winters on record.
Hungary and Slovakia, both members of the EU and NATO, are among the few European countries that have continued to rely heavily on Russian energy supplies since the war began. While most EU nations have significantly reduced or eliminated imports of Russian oil and gas, Budapest and Bratislava secured temporary exemptions from the EU’s embargo on seaborne Russian crude.
Szijjártó also announced that Hungary would block a proposed 90-billion-euro ($106-billion) EU loan package intended to support Ukraine’s military and economic needs over the next two years. The funding plan, viewed by many EU governments as critical to sustaining Kyiv’s war effort and stabilizing its economy, also requires unanimous approval.
In response to the oil disruption, Hungary and Slovakia earlier this week said they would suspend diesel shipments to Ukraine. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico went further, warning that Slovakia would halt emergency electricity exports to Ukraine if Russian oil deliveries were not restored by Monday.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry issued a sharply worded statement Saturday rejecting what it described as ultimatums and blackmail from Hungary and Slovakia. The ministry said the two countries were “playing into the hands of the aggressor” at a time when Russia is intensifying attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
“Such actions, in the context of massive and targeted Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and Moscow’s attempts to deprive Ukrainians of electricity, heating, and gas during extreme cold weather, are provocative, irresponsible, and threaten the energy security of the entire region,” the statement said.
Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has maintained the closest relationship with the Kremlin of any EU leader since the war began. Orbán has repeatedly argued that Russian fossil fuels are essential to Hungary’s economic stability, warning that a rapid shift away from them would cause severe economic disruption — a claim that some energy analysts contest, pointing to alternative supply routes and diversified sources developed elsewhere in Europe.
Orbán has frequently threatened to block or delay EU measures targeting Moscow and has criticized sanctions aimed at reducing Russia’s energy revenues, which help finance its military operations in Ukraine. He has also used Hungary’s veto power to slow or condition EU military and financial assistance to Kyiv, often extracting concessions in negotiations with Brussels.
The standoff comes at a symbolic and sensitive moment for the European Union. As leaders prepare to commemorate four years since Russia’s invasion, they face renewed questions about unity, energy security and the sustainability of long-term support for Ukraine.
With sanctions and financial aid requiring unanimity, Hungary’s opposition places additional strain on EU diplomacy and risks complicating efforts to present a cohesive front against Moscow. Whether compromise can be reached before ministers gather in Brussels remains uncertain, but the dispute highlights the persistent divisions within Europe over how to manage both the war’s geopolitical consequences and its economic fallout.
Original article
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