Hungary and Slovakia blocked the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, demanding changes to the plan for phasing out Russian energy supplies

Yesterday, European Union countries failed to adopt the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Hungary and Slovakia blocked the measure, demanding changes to the European Commission’s plan to phase out Russian energy.

This was reported by Deutsche Welle (DW).

To recap, the EU plan envisions a complete phase-out of Russian gas and oil by 2027.

Although Hungary and Slovakia were previously unable to block this plan at the EU level, they are now demanding formal discussions on it, and in the meantime, refuse to support new sanctions against Russia.

Specifically, Hungarians and Slovaks oppose a ban on Russian gas imports, which still accounts for 19% of Hungary’s gas supply.

Meanwhile, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen stated that the European Commission will not provide compensation to EU member states for giving up Russian gas.

In addition, the EU summit yesterday failed to adopt a declaration in support of Ukraine, as Hungary refused to sign it.

The declaration addressed two key points:

1. The launch of official EU accession negotiations with Kyiv — which will now not begin until Budapest lifts its veto;
2. Joint financial support for Ukraine from the EU, which has also been blocked, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.