Orbán’s departure complicated adoption of EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, Politico reports

Víktor Orbán’s departure as Hungary’s prime minister has not accelerated the adoption of the European Union’s 21st package of anti-Russian sanctions — on the contrary, it has complicated the process.

This is reported by Politico, citing sources in European diplomatic circles.

“Orbán was a difficult negotiator, but he never blocked the adoption of an entire package,” an unnamed EU diplomat said.

In recent years, Orbán’s government had kept communication channels with Russia open, opposed the introduction of new EU sanctions, and refused to supply weapons or provide military assistance to Ukraine. Partners viewed this stance as beneficial to Moscow, which led to a serious deterioration in relations between Budapest and Brussels. EU leadership had hoped that the rise to power of Péter Magyar would change the situation, but this did not happen.

At the same time, according to the Financial Times, support for new anti-Russian sanctions within the European Union has begun to wane, as European governments fear that the restrictive measures could harm their leading companies.

Greece has opposed new sanctions, as the European Commission’s ban on the transportation of Russian LNG could hurt the shipping company Dynagas. Germany and Portugal are seeking to ease restrictions on the purchase of Russian fish, citing the need to support their processing industries. France and Italy, as two of Europe’s top tourist destinations, are pushing for a softening of visa policy toward Russian citizens. Austria has again requested the unfreezing of assets linked to Raiffeisen Bank.