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Hungary appears to have managed to block the EU from approving the new sanctions package against Russia.
This would be the 20th package of sanctions that the European Union has imposed on the Kremlin since Russia launched a wide-front war to invade Ukraine.
The EU intended to adopt the sanctions package today, one day before the 4th anniversary of the start of the war.
But EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas admitted this morning that "there will be no progress" on the issue today, as Budapest continues to block the approval of sanctions.
"We are doing our best to get the sanctions package passed and we are looking for ways to do that. But, since we have heard some very strong statements from Hungary, I don't really see that they will change that today unfortunately," she said.
Hungary opposes the proposed measures, as well as the payment of a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine, as part of its growing dispute with Ukraine over oil transit using the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Sunday that “until Ukraine resumes oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow important decisions for Kiev to move forward.”
Hungary's stance has brought a series of reactions from the chief diplomats of EU countries, the harshest of which were those of the Baltic countries and Poland.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said he was "very frustrated" with the Hungarian bloc.
"We have to move forward and I'm really upset and frustrated that one of the countries is blocking it for reasons that are internal or external, I don't know, but they are not based on European needs."
"I really hope that we can have an open and honest discussion, looking each other in the eye and answering these questions: what are we doing here, what are we destroying; is it just about Ukraine, or is it about our 27-member position in the European Union?"
We can't keep going like this. We can't keep giving them carrots every time and expecting, oh, there's going to be a country that's going to block, so what are we going to give them. It can't work like this. The European Union is designed in a different way.
"We have a constant source of division, and I have the question of whether we should review the decision-making process. That is one option. The other option is to also invoke Article Seven and simply stop this exploitation of the unanimity principle. It is really damaging and dangerous," he said.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also said he was "surprised" by the Hungarian stance on sanctions and hoped to discuss this during today's meeting of EU foreign ministers.
But Estonia's foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, was more direct, saying that failure to adopt new sanctions would only benefit Russia.
"If we are not able to impose sanctions on Russia, then Russia will be happy," he said.
Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has sharply criticized Hungary for blocking the 20th package of sanctions, saying it was "shocking" that with their history of fighting Soviet aggression in the 20th century, leaders in Budapest choose to attack Ukraine for domestic gain. /Pamphlet/
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