Hungary and Slovakia jointly blocked the adoption of the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia. About this stated Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Sijarto.
“Today, Slovakia and I prevented the adoption of the sanctions package”, Sijarto said during the briefing.
He explained that this decision was made in response to the European Commission’s plans to phase out Russian energy sources. According to him, Hungary believes that the ban on the purchase of cheap Russian gas and oil contradicts previous agreements.
“In June 2022, the European Union decided by a unanimous vote during the discussion of the sixth sanctions package that Hungary and Slovakia receive a full exemption for an indefinite period from the ban on the purchase of oil from Russia,” Sijarto reminded.
He added that Hungary does not have the right to veto the European Commission’s plan itself, as a qualified majority is enough for its adoption — and that is what Sijarto called “a very gross violation of European legal norms.” That is why the country decided to block sanctions.
Sijarto also emphasized that against the background of global energy instability, which is aggravated by the risk of closing the Strait of Hormuz (through which up to a quarter of the world’s oil and gas is transported), any restrictions on the import of energy resources could cause serious economic losses and an energy supply crisis in Europe.
Separately, he expressed concern about, as he said, “increasingly tough pro-Ukrainian war sentiments” among the ministers of foreign affairs of the EU countries. According to Sijarto, only in 2025, the European Union provided financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 10 trillion forints (approximately 25 billion euros), but “today it was heard that this is not enough.”
“We will not allow Hungarians to send money to Ukraine. We are not ready to facilitate any new financial support, any new supplies of weapons, any new military operations”, – emphasized the minister.
He assured that Hungary will continue to defend its own national interests, regardless of pressure from Brussels.
