Hungary has agreed to abstain from using its veto power in the European Union to block the renewal of sanctions against Russia at the request of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the reporting by POLITICO.
The Washington, DC-based news site cites two anonymous sources who are supposed ‘senior officials granted anonymity by POLITICO to speak freely’. They claim that Secretary Rubio had talked with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary and convinced him to refrain from using Hungary’s veto. POLITICO has also reached out to the Foreign Ministry of Hungary for comment, but they have yet to hear back.
The story, however, seems very plausible. President Trump himself has publicly threatened the Russian government with imposing even harsher sanctions if they do not agree to the US-proposed ceasefire agreement, which has been already accepted by Ukraine.
Hungary lifted its objection to the renewal of the punitive measures less than 48 hours before they were set to expire. The sanctions have now been expanded by another six months.
Under the current, recently renewed sanctions, Russian assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars remain frozen in Europe, and trade embargos remain in place as well. All this is backed by the Trump administration in an attempt to force President Vladimir Putin of Russia to give up his war effort in Ukraine, started in February 2022, and come to the negotiating table for a temporary ceasefire, or a lasting peace deal.
POLITICO also speculates that Hungary can play a crucial role in the United States's strategy in the peace negotiations with Russia. If President Trump's administration decides to lift sanctions as part of a peace deal, the Hungarian government's veto can ensure that the EU does not renew its sanctions either. Interestingly, they also lament that in such a scenario, Brussels would lose leverage over Budapest in their efforts to 'rein in the Hungarians', as the news site ominous puts it.
Secretary Rubio and Minister Szijjártó reportedly spoke over the phone at the weekend after Rubio was confirmed by the US Senate in late January. Then, the Hungarian FM asked his counterpart to remove the vindictive Biden-era measures on Hungarian officials. In March, just a few weeks ago, the two statesmen also met in person in Washington, DC.
President Trump and Prime Minister Orbán had had a very close relationship before President Trump took office for the second time. Now, with him back in power in Washington, Hungary has become one of the United States's closest allies in Europe.
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