Hungary, which previously threatened to block the next extension of sanctions against Russia, changed its position after a conversation between the country’s foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, and the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. This was reported by Politico citing diplomatic sources.
This situation showed how unstable the EU’s sanction policy can be and how changes in the U.S. administration can affect European unity in supporting Ukraine and putting pressure on Russia.
Why did Hungary want to block the sanctions?
As early as January 2025, Hungary announced the possibility of vetoing the extension of anti-Russian sanctions. The main argument was the potential arrival of Donald Trump to power, who, according to Budapest, could change Washington’s policy towards Russia.
Hungary, which has always had warmer relations with the Kremlin than other EU countries, believed that the situation could change and the sanction pressure would be weakened. But unexpectedly, Trump himself signaled Moscow about the possibility of imposing even stricter restrictions.
How did Rubio convince Hungary to change its position?
According to Politico, the conversation between Marco Rubio and Peter Szijjarto played a significant role in changing Budapest’s position. The American diplomat insisted on the necessity of unity in sanction policy and also urged not to undermine the EU’s efforts in confronting Russia.
Sources report that after this conversation, Budapest agreed not to block the sanctions. This confirms that the U.S. still has a significant influence on decision-making in Europe, especially in the field of foreign policy and security.
Will the U.S. position change after the elections?
Despite Trump hinting at the possibility of new sanctions against Russia, analysts believe that his position may change. This creates certain risks for the EU’s sanction policy.
As Politico notes, if Trump decides to soften sanctions against Moscow, the EU will lose one of the key levers of influence on Hungary, which already holds a pro-Russian position.
The EU currently has no plans to ease sanctions
An important point is that within the European Union, there is still no consensus on when and under what conditions sanctions against Russia could be reviewed.
For now, the decision to maintain the sanctions once again proves that, despite internal contradictions, the EU and the US can act jointly in restraining Russian aggression. However, the future of the sanction policy will depend not only on diplomatic efforts but also on political changes in the US and Europe.
