Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto speaks to the media at a EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels
EU sanctions push stalls ahead of fourth anniversary of Russian invasion
As Europe marks the fourth anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, EU efforts to tighten sanctions on Moscow have stalled
The EU failed on 23 February to reach agreement on a fresh round of sanctions against Russia after Hungary blocked the package, preventing the bloc from securing the unanimity required for approval, EU officials said. Foreign ministers had been seeking to finalise the sanctions alongside a proposed €90b ($106b) EU-backed loan for Ukraine ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country, on 24 February, but the talks broke down after Budapest reiterated its opposition. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the outcome sent a damaging signal at a sensitive moment for European unity. Hungary, the EU member state most openly critical of sanctions on Moscow, had w
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