While the ambassadors of the EU Member States were gradually reaching agreement on the twentieth package of sanctions against Russia, on Sunday 22 February the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, dashed hopes of an agreement ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
“While Ukraine is not resuming transporting oil to Hungary, we are not prepared to contribute to any decision taken in Brussels that is favourable to or important for Ukraine”, said Mr Szijjártó on his arrival at the EU Council on 23 February. “Ukraine will therefore not have access to the war loan (see EUROPE 13813/23 and other news), and there will be no twentieth set of sanctions as long as they continue to harm us in terms of energy supply”, he warned.
A Russian attack damaged the Druzhba pipeline at the end of January, preventing the transit of Russian oil, but according to Hungary and Slovakia, the pipeline is “physically and technically” operational. This “means that the resumption of oil transport via Druzhba still depends entirely on the decision of the Ukrainian state”, which is “practising political blackmail”, said Péter Szijjártó. He went on to emphasise that: “The problem is that the Ukrainian state has a fierce hatred of Hungary and has been pursuing an anti-Hungarian policy for ten years”.
According to a European source, Slovakia, which is also affected by supply coming via Druzhba, is also blocking the adoption of the twentieth package of measures.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and the other ministers expressed their disappointment at the lack of agreement on sanctions. “Unfortunately, we were unable to reach agreement on the twentieth set of sanctions. It’s a setback and a message that we didn’t want to pass on today, but the work continues”, stressed Ms Kallas. When asked about the link between the Hungarian blockade and the country’s elections in April, she said that, given the country’s history, it was difficult for her to imagine that Hungarians would support an action that was not aimed at helping the Ukrainian people in need, and that this would bring “extra points” at the polls.
Lithuania’s Kęstutis Budrys called the absence of EU sanctions on the fourth anniversary of the invasion a “very bad sign”. He called for pressure on Budapest to reach a compromise. “The EU has a number of financial levers at its disposal, including secure funds, and we must use them. In the longer term, we will have to determine whether the 27-member agreement is really necessary”, he added.
“It’s a disgrace for Europe”, said Sweden’s Maria Malmer Stenergard, while Poland’s Radoslaw Sikorski described the situation with Hungary as “scandalous, but not surprising”.
Reduction of the Russian Embassy to the EU. The EU High Representative also announced that she had decided to limit the maximum size of the Russian mission to the European Union to 40 people. “We will not tolerate any abuse of diplomatic power”, she warned. According to a European source, the EU currently has “fewer than 40 people in total” in its delegation in Moscow, including 11 internationals.
Although the proposal is not part of the twentieth package of sanctions, the Estonian minister, Margus Tsahkna, hoped for a decision on his proposal to draw up a Schengen blacklist of Russian fighters by March. “We are coordinating our efforts with the other Schengen Member States, who also hope that the next EU Council will politically affirm that this measure is EU policy”, he explained. Ms Kallas announced that she was working with the European Commission “to prevent hundreds, if not thousands, of former Russian soldiers from entering the Schengen area”. “We don’t want war criminals and saboteurs roaming our streets freely”, she warned.
In addition to the measures against Russia, the ministers reiterated European support for Ukraine, which now totals €193.3 billion: €103.3 billion in financial, economic and humanitarian aid, €69.3 billion in military aid, €17 billion in aid for refugees within the EU and €3.7 billion in revenue from frozen Russian assets.
“We will be making a strong case for increased military support, but also for strengthening Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. I believe there is a wider field of action to mobilise support”, emphasised the German Minister, Johann Wadephul. According to his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, Russia has destroyed 75% of Ukraine’s energy capacity (see other news). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)