Hungary blocked the planned tightening of sanctions on Russia at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. In addition, shortly before the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country also reaffirmed its veto against an important EU loan worth billions for Ukraine. The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after the meeting: “This is a setback and a message that we did not want to send today.”
As Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in Brussels, his country will only agree to the decisions for Ukraine if the government in Kiev allows Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline to resume. He accused the leadership in Kiev of intentionally and for political reasons blocking the use of the line that runs through Ukraine. According to Ukrainian information, oil deliveries have been interrupted since the end of January due to Russian bombings.
Came to Brussels with a clear announcement: Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. (Archive image) (© Virginia Mayo/AP/dpa)
It was initially unclear whether a compromise could be found by the anniversary of the start of the Russian war this Tuesday.
Slovakia stops emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine
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Hungary is being supported by Slovakia in blocking new Russia sanctions. Like Hungary, the country continues to purchase Russian crude oil on a large scale and claims that it cannot guarantee its energy security without the supplies. The Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico even took a “countermeasure” against the neighboring country. At around the same time as the meeting in Brussels, he announced that Slovakia would stop supplying emergency electricity to Ukraine.
Russian oil is currently no longer arriving here: the receiving station of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Hungary. (Archive image) (© Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI/epa/dpa)
In a Facebook video, Fico said that he had previously asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an urgent telephone conversation. Since Zelenskyj would not have been ready to do this until Wednesday at the earliest, he decided directly in favor of the measure. It will be “taken back immediately as soon as oil transit to Slovakia is renewed,” said Fico.
He also criticized the EU for not helping Slovakia in the dispute with Ukraine. The EU Commission is siding with Ukraine instead of the member state Slovakia.
Wadephul accuses Hungary of treason
After Hungary’s clear positioning towards Ukraine, Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul accused the country of sacrificing its own ideals and interests by blocking the important EU loan. “I don’t think it’s right for Hungary to betray its own fight for freedom, for European sovereignty,” said the CDU politician in Brussels. He was alluding to the fact that Hungary’s right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban likes to celebrate his country for the popular uprising against the communist regime in 1956 and its role in the fall of the Soviet Union.
EU foreign policy chief Kallas also showed incomprehension for Hungary’s position. “We shouldn’t connect things that have nothing to do with each other,” said Kallas. After the meeting, she could only announce that it had been decided to impose sanctions on additional people for human rights violations in Russia and to limit the Russian representation to the EU to 40 employees in the future.
EU wants to transfer up to 90 billion euros to Ukraine
The situation is extremely unpleasant for the EU. With the originally planned sanctions and the new financial aid, she actually wants to send a clear signal to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin that she will continue to resolutely support Ukraine’s defensive campaign.
The loan plan plans to provide Ukraine with up to 90 billion euros by the end of 2027. 60 billion of this is earmarked for defense-related spending. Ukraine should only have to pay back the money if Russia pays compensation for the damage caused after its war of aggression ends. There are also plans to use frozen Russian assets in the EU for repayment if Moscow does not pay compensation for war damage.
Hungary’s commitment was already made
The blockade is particularly annoying for the EU because Hungary had already negotiated with the Czech Republic and Slovakia last year not to share in the EU costs for the Ukraine loan. However, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Szijjarto once again made it clear on the sidelines of the foreign ministers’ meeting that he doesn’t really care.
In a video published on his Facebook page, which was taken during the flight to the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, he said about the dispute over oil deliveries: “It will be a big fight, everyone will want our blood, but that’s just the way it is.” We should face this fight “because no one should make fun of Hungary.” Nobody should endanger the country’s energy security.
Meanwhile, there are fears in Brussels that the conflict will also be exploited by Orban for his current election campaign. Last week, Orban had already claimed without any evidence that Ukraine was interested in him losing the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12th. That’s why Kiev wants to ensure that heating costs in Hungary rise by blocking the Druzhba pipeline.
He also claimed that there was evidence that the opposition party Tisza was “financed by Ukraine”. Ukraine, the EU and Germany concluded a “secret pact” at the recent security conference in Munich that was aimed at disempowering him, Orban said, also without providing any evidence.
