The bill submitted by politicians, titled BLOCK PUTIN, envisages forcing the president to impose sanctions and entry bans on “Hungarian government officials who block, delay or obstruct aid to Ukraine through the US, EU, NATO or other multilateral channels and continue to purchase Russian oil and gas.” These sanctions would be lifted if Hungary presented a credible plan to end its dependence on Russian raw materials and stopped blocking support for Ukraine for 180 days.
“While the rest of Europe is rightly weaning itself off Russian energy, Hungary has doubled down,” said Shaheen, vice chairwoman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. — Hungarian payments for Russian oil and gas amounting to billions of euros have boosted Putin's finances and supported Russia's war effort against Ukraine, she added.
“It is unbelievable that Vice President Vance is reportedly planning a visit to Hungary to support the elections of a corrupt government that continues to financially support the Russian war machine,” Shaheen added. The second author, Republican Thom Tillis, made a similar comment. The senator from North Carolina is one of the centrists who criticize the president's approach to NATO and Ukraine.
Although the project has no chance of becoming law – as it would require the signature of the president who supported Viktor Orban in the elections – it is a sign of growing criticism of Budapest among some of Washington's elites. Among the critics, there is also a significant number of Republicans who also point to the Orban government's openness to Chinese influence.
