Hungary has not yet agreed to the European Union’s new sanctions package against Russia. According to Politico does Budapest want Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church is excluded from the sanctions† That demand comes as a surprise after weeks of negotiations and frustrates diplomats, who thought they only had to arrange a few details.
On Monday evening, EU leaders reached an agreement on a new sanctions package against Russia, which also includes an oil embargo that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long opposed. Hungary will receive an exceptional position with the Czech Republic and Slovakia and may still receive oil via a pipeline for the time being.
Wednesday’s talks that ‘suddenly’ brought up the Hungarian demand to exclude Kirill from sanctions were heated and Hungary didn’t come up with any real arguments either, diplomats told EUobserver. Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán, who has always maintained good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has previously said he rejects sanctions against church leaders “on grounds of principle”.
Patriarch Kirill has close ties to Putin and is firmly behind the invasion of Ukraine. He should be added to the sanctions list by the EU as an important symbol, because he has called the war “a religious cleansing operation” and blesses Russian soldiers in his sermons, EUobserver reports.
This Thursday, further discussions will take place in Brussels about the new sanctions package.
This article is also part of our live blog: Hungary again demands adjustments to EU sanctions package