Hungary's Block Threatens EU Aid and Sanctions for Ukraine

The European Union’s plans to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion with a show of support for Ukraine were upended after Hungary said it would block the latest sanctions package on Russia and stall an already-agreed financial aid program for Kyiv worth about 90 billion euros, roughly $106 billion.

The move highlighted how the bloc’s consensus-based decision-making can grind to a standstill. The sanctions package could still pass, and officials hope the delay to the aid package is a snag rather than a derailment. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, said there was probably “not going to be progress” at a meeting of foreign ministers and warned that “we shouldn’t tie together things that are not connected to each other at all.” The new sanctions include a full maritime services ban for Russian crude oil aimed at reducing Moscow’s energy revenue.

Budapest said it opposed the measures because of disruptions to the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine and supplies Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia.

Hungary

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