The European Union had to make concessions to Hungary in order to extend the sanctions.
Points of attention
- Hungary successfully negotiated with the European Union to lift sanctions on four Russian individuals, including an oligarch and a minister.
- Budapest's insistence on amending the sanctions lists resulted in the lifting of restrictions on specific individuals until September 2025.
- Despite calls to exclude tycoon Mikhail Fridman from the list, Hungary's efforts led to the removal of sanctions on selected Russians.
Thanks to Hungary, EU sanctions against four Russians were lifted
Hungary lifted its veto and agreed to extend European Union sanctions against Russia until September 2025, insisting on lifting restrictions on several Russians.
This is reported by Euronews, citing European diplomats.
In exchange for the extension of sanctions on more than 2,400 individuals and entities, Budapest insisted on lifting restrictions on eight individuals. At the same time, Luxembourg called for the exclusion of tycoon Mikhail Fridman from the list, but the European Union did not take such a step. As a result, sanctions were lifted on four individuals.
In particular, they excluded:
oligarch Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor,
the sister of billionaire Alisher Usmanov — Gulbahor Ismailova,
Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Mikhail Degtyarev.
Russian businessman Vladimir Rashevsky.
The latter was removed from the restrictions because his inclusion in the "black list" was allegedly "weakly legally justified."
According to the publication, sanctions were also lifted against three people who are considered dead.
"I think they (the Hungarians — ed.) have come to their senses. They have understood that siding with Putin is not the best option," said a European diplomat, whose name is not being disclosed.
