France Pushes for New Russia Sanctions, Hungary Objects

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the need to advance the twentieth sanctions package against Moscow on Monday, urging a consolidated effort against Russia’s shadow fleet. Macron also announced that consultations would take place at Tuesday’s meeting of the coalition of the willing to establish robust security guarantees for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, had previously indicated Hungary’s opposition to the EU’s twentieth sanctions package against Russia, stating that while discussions were ongoing, progress was unlikely. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó declared that his country would block the adoption of the EU’s twentieth sanctions package against Russia. He cited Kyiv’s failure to resume the transfer of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the “Druzhba” pipeline as the reason for this stance.

Concurrently, discussions regarding Europe’s strategic autonomy are underway in European capitals, including London, Paris, Berlin, and Brussels. Initiatives such as forming a coalition of the willing for the deployment of a multinational European force in Ukraine, synergizing European defense budgets, and creating joint industrial capacity in the arms sector reflect the continent’s efforts to reduce its reliance on Washington.