Hungary blocks vote on extending sanctions against Russia set to expire on March 15

She shared the information on Espreso TV.

"Right now, the most important issue is the extension of sanctions against Russia, including individual sanctions, which expire on March 15, 2025, this Saturday. Starting from Monday, EU ambassadors are trying to persuade Budapest, because it's clear that the Hungarian ambassador to the EU doesn't make the decision himself, to get Budapest's agreement to extend the sanctions against Russians, of which there are already more than 2,400 on the list. Interestingly, the Hungarian ambassador does not say, 'We are vetoing these sanctions' or 'We are against the sanctions.' They say, 'As of now, we do not have a mandate to vote for the extension of sanctions.' And so, they are just dragging their feet," she said.

Tetyana Vysotska mentioned that the Polish presidency of the EU arranged a closed-door meeting of ambassadors from 27 countries last night, with no assistants or mobile phones allowed, but once again, no results were achieved.

"The meeting was rescheduled for this morning, around 8 a.m. Brussels time, and was supposed to begin then. We don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors, but perhaps during these negotiations, they’ll be able to secure a response from Hungary. It's clear that Hungary is now influenced not only by Russia but also by the United States, which, so to speak, does not want to use unfriendly or aggressive language towards Russia," the journalist observed.

• On February 25, Reuters reported that Hungary seeks to remove eight individuals from the EU sanctions list and demands new guarantees regarding negotiations on gas transit through Ukraine before supporting the extension of European sanctions against Russia.
• On March 7, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he was considering imposing “large-scale” banking sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire is established and a final peace agreement is reached.