“Hungary torpedoed the release of the EPF funds, citing alleged discrimination against Hungarian companies in Ukraine and the risk to Hungary’s energy supply after Ukraine extended a ban on the transit of oil by Lukoil.
He stressed that while Hungary would not interfere with member states funding such initiatives voluntarily, it would not support making these contributions compulsory.
Hungary also opposes the proposed relocation of an EU coordination unit to Kyiv and the deployment of advisors for security sector reforms, he added.
The latest sanctions package against Russia extends the legal option for Hungarian oil and gas company MOL to continue exporting products derived from Russian-origin oil.
Moreover, the minister rejected proposals to sanction Russia’s UN ambassador and its Olympic Committee, stating, “mixing sports with geopolitics is unacceptable”.
Hungary has become more obstructive to EU assistance to Kyiv and EU sanctions on Russia since Brussels froze part of Hungary’s Cohesion Funds and Reconstruction Funds because of the Orban regime’s violations of the rule of law, in an implicit blackmail tactic to get the funds released.”