Hungary, Slovakia block new EU sanctions pact on Russia until leaders’ summit
Two Central European countries — Hungary and Slovakia — refused to support the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia on June 23 in Brussels, without waiting for a tie vote at the level of the heads of command — the European Council summit. This was an unexpected and severe blow to the EU’s unified course of increasing economic and political pressure on the Kremlin in the context of its military actions in Ukraine. According to diplomatic sources, who wished to remain anonymous, the governments of the two countries blocked the adoption of sanctions measures during the meeting of the countries’ Permanent Representatives — the so-called Coreper committee — until the moment when EU leaders gather for a main summit on June 26-27 to make a final decision. According to diplomats, the slowdown in the adoption of regulatory acts is caused by the desire to discuss these issues at the highest political level. "Two delegations — Hungary and Slovakia — refused to sign new sanctions documents before the European Council summit scheduled for the end of June," one of the diplomats said, adding that all attempts to coordinate the position directly between the representatives of the states are ending in vain. Another source in diplomatic circles said that the day before — June 23 — the European Commission presented an updated draft of the 18th package of sanctions to the ambassadors of the EU countries. This document proposed various options for reducing the price level for Russian oil — from maintaining the current level to reducing it from $60 to $45 per barrel. Representatives of different countries expressed their concerns: some considered it advisable to maintain the restrictions, while others insisted on its abolition due to the unstable situation on the world oil market. The spokesman for the diplomatic corps stressed that, despite the differences, the countries had almost reached a compromise: "We are very close to an agreement and we hope that we will be able to deal with this issue at the Coreper meeting scheduled for Friday, June 27," he said. Despite this, the issue of sanctions remains a difficult element of the compromise. The background is that the EU previously refused to lower the maximum price for Russian oil - from $60 to $45 per barrel - due to the lack of support from the group's key players - the United States and the Group of Seven, which consider the idea counterproductive and potentially damaging to the global energy market. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó emphasized in his public statements that his country and Slovakia would not support the introduced sanctions measures in the future and would remain neutral regarding certain positions of Brussels. Given this situation, the upcoming summit of the European Council has become even more tense and ambiguous. On the agenda are not only the issues of sanctions and energy policy, but also the possible division of positions of individual countries on strategic directions of integration and prospects for Ukraine's membership in the European Union. Analysis of the situation shows that, despite the signed documents and the desire for unity, regional interests and internal political dynamics continue to hinder the European Union's rapid and unanimous response to today's challenges. What to expect from the upcoming meetings for Ukraine and the world and what key decisions should be expected in the near future - in the details of the intelligence of our correspondent, who recently returned from Brussels.