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Member states were unlikely to reach agreement on the European Union’s proposed 20th sanctions package against Russia at their meeting in Brussels, as Hungary vetoed the measures, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.
Budapest has tied its position to the resumption of Russian oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline route supplying their refineries.
Shipments have been cut since Jan. 27, when Ukraine said Russian drones hit pipeline equipment in western Ukraine. Hungary and Slovakia have blamed Kyiv for the prolonged outage, while Ukraine has pointed to Russia’s attacks.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote on X that Budapest would block the sanctions package and would not allow “decisions important to Kyiv” to move forward until oil transit resumes.
The same appears to apply to broader Ukraine-related decisions that require unanimity, including a proposed EU loan of about 90 billion euro for Kyiv, Reuters reported. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Hungary’s stance, describing it as “ultimatums and blackmail.”
The European Commission has proposed a new set of measures that would widen restrictions on Russia’s energy revenues and supply chains.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the package would include a full maritime services ban for Russian crude oil, new measures targeting additional “shadow fleet” vessels, and tighter limits on financial services and trade, including adding more Russian regional banks and expanding import bans on certain goods.
Several EU officials and ministers publicly criticized Hungary’s stance as the foreign ministers’ meeting got underway. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged Budapest not to “betray its own struggle for freedom” by undermining the EU’s response to Russia. Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called Hungary’s position “shocking.”
