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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told European Union leaders that he wants to wait until the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump before deciding whether to extend the bloc’s sanctions against Russia.
This was reported by Bloomberg, citing sources, according to Ukrinform.
The EU has adopted 15 sanctions packages against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, which need to be extended every six months. The next extension is scheduled by the end of January, 11 days after Trump is due to be sworn in.
Until now, extending the sanctions has been a routine decision, with the political agreement typically reached at the EU’s year-end summit. However, the extension requires unanimous approval by all 27 member states.
According to sources, at the end of a day-long EU’s summit on Thursday, Orbán surprised his counterparts by stating he was not ready to support the sanctions extension until Trump assumes office.
Orbán’s stance heightened European leaders’ concerns that the Hungarian leader could align with Trump to undermine the bloc’s unity on financial and military support for Ukraine, the publication said.
In the final weeks of the Biden administration, the U.S. and the EU have been working to intensify pressure on Russia’s struggling economy, including strengthening the sanctions regime.
The EU has often faced obstacles from Orbán, who has blocked several measures aimed at further punishing Russia or assisting Ukraine. He is a close ally of Trump and traveled to Florida earlier this month to meet him in person.
As reported by Ukrinform, on December 17, President Zelenskyy stated that he does not need intermediaries to communicate with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, adding that “there are various politicians trying to capitalize on this.” In this context, he mentioned Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán.
Zelenskyy also said that Orbán’s so-called initiatives for a ceasefire, peace, and prisoner exchange are political stunts, emphasizing that the Hungarian prime minister has no mandate for such negotiations.
Since July 1, Hungary has taken over the rotating presidency of the EU Council from Belgium for six months. Poland will hold the presidency during the first half of 2025.
Read also: Zelenskyy on negotiations with EU: Main topics include energy protection, weapons production
