The European Union has reached an agreement with Hungary to renew sanctions against more than 2,400 Russian entities and individuals for another six months. The deal comes hours before the sanctions were set to expire on March 15.
Hungary had been in talks with EU officials over its opposition to military aid for Ukraine and its ties with Russia. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly warned that Ukraine’s EU membership would “destroy” Hungary, and maintained close relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As part of the deal, four individuals were removed from the list: Mikhail Degtyaryov, a sport minister in Russia; Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, an Israeli-British-Russian businessman; Gulbakhor Ismailova, Alisher Usmanov’s sister; and three deceased individuals.
The remaining sanctions include Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, and members of the Russian State Duma. Individuals involved in war crimes, such as atrocities in Bucha and Mariupol, are also on the list.
Oligarchs Mikhail Fridman is not on this list but Musa Bazhaev, Dmitry Mazepin, and others have been sanctioned by the EU and the UK for their ties to the Russian government.
The deal does not address Hungary’s opposition to military aid for Ukraine, but it allows Brussels and Budapest to continue negotiating over the issue. Economic sanctions against Russia, including freezing nearly $200 billion in Russian central bank assets, also need to be renewed by the EU in July.
As tensions between the EU and Hungary escalate, some member states are considering stripping Budapest of its voting rights or ability to veto within the EU if it blocks the renewal of economic sanctions.
Source: https://kyivindependent.com/eu-resists-pressure-from-hungary-extends-russia-sanctions-including-those-on-mikhail-fridman