Following a Monday session, the European Union’s foreign ministers have agreed to extend the sanctions against Russia. According to Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, the measures aim to deprive Moscow of income, thereby complicating the financing of the war in Ukraine.
In recent weeks, the extension of the sanctions had been threatened by Hungary’s position. In December, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had already expressed his concerns and tied his country’s consent to guarantees for Hungary’s energy security.
At the Monday session, Budapest was granted these guarantees, as announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. In a Facebook post, the diplomat revealed that the European Commission has committed to securing gas deliveries and oil pipelines to EU member states. Additionally, Brussels will demand guarantees from Ukraine for the maintenance of the gas deliveries.
Hungary had warned that it would only consent to the extension of the anti-Russian sanctions if the Ukraine restored the gas transit through its territory, did not attack the infrastructure of the TurkStream pipeline and did not hinder the Russian oil deliveries to Europe.