Hungary may derail the extension of the European Union’s sanctions against Russia this week, Euractiv news website reported on Monday, citing diplomatic sources.
Hungary was the only EU member state to refuse to sign the statement adopted at the close of the extraordinary EU summit on Ukraine on Thursday.
It will be discussed again at the summit on March 20-21.
Euractiv reported, citing EU diplomats, that Hungary did not effectively obstruct initiatives proposed by other EU members nor raised controversial issues, such as sanctions against Russia or Russian gas and oil transit to Europe.
Diplomats believed that Budapest was partly saving its energy ahead of next week’s summit.
EU sanctions on Russia expire on March 15.
They have to be renewed unanimously by the 27 EU member states every six months.
Amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s signals that Washington may lift sanctions against Russia as part of the Ukraine deal, Budapest may start resisting EU sanctions on Moscow more actively, the news website said.
Last week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Hungary would decide whether to agree to extend sanctions against individuals and entities from Russia and Belarus on March 10.
After receiving a response from EU foreign policy Chief Kaja Kallas to a letter that outlined violations of energy security guarantees for Budapest.
In January, Szijjarto said that Budapest had received energy security guarantees from the European Commission in return for its support for extending sanctions against Russia.
The EU had promised to protect gas and oil pipelines that pump Russian hydrocarbons to the EU and seek assurances from Ukraine that it would not undermine oil supplies to the EU. (RIA/NAN)
