In January, Budapest, which has maintained close ties with Moscow through the war, held up the renewal of the economic sanctions that include the immobilisation of Moscow's central bank assets. An agreement was reached after the European Commission agreed to include Hungary in talks about resuming gas transit to the EU through Ukraine.

Hungary wants the European Union to remove eight individuals from its sanctions list against Russia. In that case, it may support the extension of restrictions, Reuters informs. According to the media outlet,

Hungary has announced that it will not rush to approve the extension of European Union (EU) sanctions on Russian individuals, despite strong pressure from Brussels. The country’s foreign minister, who is currently in Washington for diplomatic discussions,

FM Szijjarto also recalled that in January, Hungary received a four-point guarantee from the European Commission regarding energy security. However, even the simplest of these commitments was not honored—last week, a consultation on gas transit was held without Hungary being invited.

Hungary seeks to remove eight individuals from the EU's Russia sanctions list and demands new guarantees on Ukraine gas transit discussions before consenting to sanctions renewal. Despite the EU's need for unanimous agreement to extend sanctions,

Hungary will not consent to rushing ahead with the extension of sanction on Russian individuals at the European Union's foreign ministers meeting on Monday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

Ireland has confirmed its intention to join a European Commission infringement case against Hungary at the Court of Justice of the European Union.

For three years we have been resisting pressure, for three years we have refused to be pushed into their war policy, now we will endure it!' says foreign minister - Anadolu Ajansı

Hungary's top diplomat vowed on Thursday to delay extending EU sanctions against Russian individuals -- including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov -- to avoid making Russian-US negotiations "difficult".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced an income tax exemption for mothers of two or three children and said he would cap interest rates on housing loans at 5% from April as part of moves to shore up the economy ahead of a 2026 national election.

He added that whether Ukraine can one day join the 27-member EU “will be decided by the Hungarians.” “Against the will of Hungary and the Hungarians, Ukraine will never be a member of the Eu ...

For us in Central Europe, it is entirely clear that good U.S.–Russia relations can form the foundation of global peace. We hope that the upcoming agreement will not only focus on restoring peace to Europe but also become a broader accord that serves as a cornerstone for future global security,