Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is once again keeping Brussels on its toes by threatening to block the extension of sanctions against Russia, including the freezing of its financial assets in the EU. However, according to EU diplomats, a last-minute deal is now in the works to avert Hungary's threat, Politico reports, UNN writes.
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Hungary's threat prompted high-level warnings, including from Polish Prime Minister Tusk, who wrote to X: "If [Orban] really blocks European sanctions at a key moment for the war, it will become absolutely clear that in this great game for the security and future of Europe, he is playing on Putin's team, not ours. With all the consequences that entails." One EU diplomat said that Hungary is "playing with fire" and "planting a bomb in the transatlantic relationship" if it blocks the sanctions.
But, according to two EU diplomats, a last-minute deal is in the works to avert Hungary's threat. Budapest is expected to back down in exchange for a statement addressing Hungary's "energy security" concerns. EU ambassadors are due to meet during an emergency Coreper meeting at 9 a.m. local time, and the deal is expected to be formalized during a meeting of foreign ministers starting at 10 a.m. local time in Brussels, one diplomat said.
A scenario in which Hungary blocks the extension of sanctions today "is not a basic scenario," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys told reporters on Sunday. "This would put the entire EU and Hungary in a position of weakness... It would also limit the US in terms of options for finding a long-term sustainable peace in Europe," he said.
The publication reminds that over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv would be ready to sign an agreement on the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Hungary and Slovakia if the Kremlin does not benefit from this agreement.
Turkey, as noted, has also stepped in, with its ambassador to the EU, Faruk Kaymakci, telling my colleague Gabriel Gavin on Sunday that Ankara is ready to help replace Ukraine as a transit country.
"They [the Hungarians] like drama," said a third EU diplomat, who added that the measures would continue anyway.