On Friday, March 13, ambassadors of European Union countries discussed the extension of sanctions against Russia. Sanctions are extended every six months by a unanimous decision of all capitals. For the sanctions list to remain in force, member states must agree to it by March 15. Hungary and Slovakia usually wait until the last minute to make a decision, although so far they have finally agreed to an extension. This time it was different. Both countries do not agree with the composition of the sanctions “blacklist”. No agreement was reached at the morning meeting, and the next meeting is to be held in the evening or at the weekend.
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Sanctions on Russia. This is what Hungary and Slovakia want
The “blacklist” includes people and entities involved in Russia's war with Ukraine. There are over 2.6 thousand on it. companies and names. These sanctions include the freezing of assets and, for natural persons, also the deprivation of entry into the EU. According to the EU informant PAP, Slovakia wants to remove two names from the list. As reported by Radio Swoboda, according to unofficial sources, Bratislava is trying to remove Alisher Usmanov, considered the richest man in Russia, and the Russian-Israeli oligarch Mikhail Fridman from the list. Hungary also has its own list of names to be removed.
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As an EU diplomat told PAP, the blockade is not related to the Druzhba pipeline and the ongoing dispute between Hungary and Slovakia with Ukraine. The pipeline running through Ukraine was destroyed as a result of the Russian attack, and Hungary and Slovakia are demanding its repair. Two other decisions remain their means of putting pressure on the European Union and Ukraine: the adoption of the 20th sanctions package and the granting of a loan to Ukraine in the amount of EUR 90 billion.
“We clearly know that we cannot do without some initiative regarding the oil pipeline, which is why we are working on finding a common solution,” an EU official told PAP.
As part of a new initiative, the EC proposed that Ukraine send a delegation to inspect the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline damaged in the Russian attack. Hungary and Slovakia also sent their own mission to Ukraine.
