Hungary, Slovakia want seven Russians removed from EU sanctions list
Hungarian and Slovak Prime Ministers, Viktor Orban and Robert Fico (Photo: REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa)
Hungary
and Slovakia are seeking to remove seven Russian citizens from the European
Union’s sanctions list, Rikard Jozwiak, Europe editor at RFE/RL, reported on
March 6.
Jozwiak said the countries want the individual sanctions against the Russians extended for only another six months. The deadline to renew the sanctions is March 15.
The EU has offered a counterproposal: a 12-month extension in exchange for removing two people from the list whom officials consider “weak cases,” those whose inclusion might not be strong enough to survive court challenges, Jozwiak said.
Personal EU sanctions against Russian citizens were last renewed in September 2025. At that time, media reported that Hungary and Slovakia had sought to remove the names of six Russians, but those names remained on the list. Jozwiak said the names are the same this time around. Officials have not publicly identified them, but they are understood to be people who have supported or financed Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The European Council failed to approve the 20th package of
sanctions against Russia by Feb. 24, the fourth anniversary of Russia’s
full-scale invasion of Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the
bloc is working with Hungary and Slovakia to resolve their objections.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
