Photo: Glavkom
Several European Union governments are developing a plan to continue sanctions pressure on Russia without the participation of Hungary, which systematically blocks EU initiatives. This was reported by Politico with reference to six European diplomats.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly used his veto power to prevent new measures against Russia, particularly in the energy and nuclear sectors. Now, a number of EU capitals are considering adopting sanctions at the national level, which would mean going beyond the mechanism of a single consensus within the bloc.
“We have to be prepared for the possibility that sanctions may not be extended in the current format,” said one diplomat, “So we are working to make the restrictions sustainable, even despite Budapest’s resistance.”
Among the supporters of this approach are Belgium, the Czech Republic and a number of other countries that had previously been reluctant to impose unilateral restrictions. The plan envisages the implementation of pan-European sanctions into national legislation, which would deprive Hungary of blocking levers, as sanctions still require unanimous renewal every six months.
The idea is being actively discussed as the 17th package of restrictions against Russia is being prepared. Foreign ministers of the member states met in Brussels on Monday to coordinate the new measures. One of the catalysts for the discussion was Hungary’s refusal to sign the conclusions on Russian aggression at the last EU summit.
“Yes, if our usual suspect, Hungary, creates a problem, we will find a way around it,” said a third European diplomat.
It is known that in January, Orban refused to approve the extension of sanctions just a few hours before billions of dollars were to be returned to Moscow. At that time, even US Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally appealed to Budapest not to disrupt the mechanism of restrictions.
According to experts, “plan B” – i.e., national adoption of sanctions – can only partially work. Some countries, such as Lithuania, already have such laws in place, but they stress that legal clarity is needed on how to extend them to sectoral restrictions. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky expressed caution in an interview with Politico:
“If we completely abolish consensus and veto power on key issues, Europe may lose its unity. But we see that decisions will have to be made by a coalition of the willing.”
In the words of another senior diplomat, “Europe’s security is too serious an issue to be held hostage to one man who sees the world in a completely different way from the rest of the continent.”
At a time when the United States, under the leadership of Donald Trump, is demonstrating a desire for “normalisation” with the Kremlin, it is critical for Ukraine’s European allies to maintain a united front and prevent Hungary from paralysing the EU’s common policy.
