Hungary demands to exclude 8 people from the list of EU sanctions against Russia in exchange for supporting restrictions
Hungary is seeking to remove eight people from the European Union’s sanctions list against Russia and to obtain additional guarantees on gas transit negotiations through Ukraine before agreeing to an extension of the restrictions. About this informs Reuters.
Europe’s restrictions on the Russian Federation are renewed every six months – all 27 countries of the bloc must vote unanimously for this. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said that Budapest “will not agree to rush” to extend restrictions against individuals. At the same time, he did not name exactly whom Budapest wants to remove from the list of sanctions.
Restrictions against Russia are divided into two categories, which continue at different times. One of them concerns economic sanctions, the other – a list of more than 2,400 individuals and legal entities who are prohibited from entering the EU and whose assets are subject to freezing.
We will remind that in January, Budapest delayed the continuation of economic sanctions, including the blocking of assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. The agreement was reached only after the European Commission agreed to involve Hungary in negotiations on gas transit to the EU through the territory of Ukraine.
