Budapest has once again disrupted EU unity over sanctions against Russia, this time demanding the removal of four individuals from the bloc’s blacklist in exchange for its support to renew punitive measures. On Friday, EU member states agreed to extend sanctions targeting more than 2,400 individuals for their roles in supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to European diplomats.
The sanctions extension, which needed unanimous approval before its March 15 expiration, was held up by Hungary’s resistance. In the end, Budapest relented—only after four names were deleted from the list.
Among those removed were Russian businessmen Vladimir Rashevsky and Vyacheslav Kantor, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, and the sister of oligarch Alisher Usmanov. The individuals had been subject to asset freezes and travel bans under the EU’s ongoing measures targeting the Kremlin’s inner circle and its supporters.
The compromise has drawn criticism from other EU states, who see Hungary’s actions as undermining the bloc’s united front against Moscow’s aggression.
Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has regularly taken a softer stance toward Russia, complicating joint EU efforts to isolate the Kremlin economically and diplomatically since the start of the war in Ukraine.
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