According to the Tagesschau podcast "11KM", the latest round of European Union (EU) sanctions against Russia has been on the political table for over two months. Hungary and Slovakia first vetoed the package because of a dispute with Ukraine concerning the Druzhba pipeline. Later, the proposed measures — which include a full ban on maritime services for Russian oil tankers — were further complicated by disruptions in the energy sector following the US conflict with Iran. A solution has not yet been reached.
Tagesschau reports that recent developments in Budapest and Washington have improved the chances that the now 20th sanctions package could be approved soon. The crushing defeat of Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán last Sunday is expected to shift the balance of power and, Brussels hopes, create an opportunity to lift the outstanding vetoes on both the sanctions and a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine.
It remains unclear how Robert Fico, a close ideological ally of Orbán, will behave after the change of leadership in Hungary. Unlike Orbán, who has repeatedly tested the limits of EU norms, Fico prefers to hold talks with his counterparts to seek a possible compromise that would allow him to withdraw his vetoes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Druzhba pipeline will be “not fully, but sufficiently repaired to operate” by the end of the month. The infrastructure was severely damaged by Russian drones at the end of January. Orbán’s defeat combined with the pipeline repairs could work together to weaken Fico’s opposition. The Slovak leader has previously said he does not object to the content of the sanctions themselves, only to the interruption of oil flows through Druzhba.
Source: Tagesschau
