Tensions are rising inside the European Union as Hungary and Slovakia resist renewing sanctions against Russia, just days before a crucial deadline, according to Euro News.
The EU must decide by March 15 whether to extend sanctions against more than 2,700 Russian individuals and organizations linked to the war in Ukraine. Under EU rules, all member states must agree for sanctions to remain in place.
However, a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels failed to reach an agreement on Wednesday after Hungary and Slovakia blocked the proposal.
Diplomats said both countries demanded that several individuals be removed from the sanctions list. Slovakia’s request to lift restrictions on businessmen Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov sparked strong debate among EU representatives, and the talks ended without a decision.
If the sanctions are not renewed before the deadline, all listed individuals including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would automatically be removed from the EU sanctions regime. This would allow oligarchs, political figures, and companies to regain access to financial assets currently frozen within EU territory.
This is not the first time EU leaders have faced a last-minute standoff over sanctions. In previous years, Hungary lifted its veto only shortly before the deadline, allowing the measures to continue.
This time, however, a dispute over the Druzhba oil pipeline has added new tension. The pipeline is a key route for Russian oil supplies to Central Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico have accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately keeping the pipeline closed for political reasons.
Zelenskyy has rejected those claims, saying the pipeline was badly damaged in a Russian drone attack in late January and needs repairs that could take weeks due to dangerous conditions.
The dispute has already begun to affect other EU decisions. Orbán recently blocked a €90 billion EU loan package intended to support Ukraine.
The European Commission is now trying to ease the tensions by urging Ukraine to speed up repairs while encouraging Hungary to approve the loan.
With another meeting scheduled before the deadline, EU diplomats are racing against time to prevent the collapse of one of the bloc’s key sanctions policies against Russia.
