Hungary not warm about backing next anti-Russia sanctions wave

Hungary has hinted that the European Union should not discuss the 12th package of sanctions against Russia until it analyses the consequences of the previous ones. 

"While the East-West cooperation, which had long been a solid foundation for European growth, continues to break down, we are already discussing the 12th package of sanctions without any honest analysis of the effects of the 11 packages that have already been adopted," Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Foreign Minister, wrote on Facebook, European Pravda writes.

As he said, "failed decisions in Brussels" in recent years have led to the fact that European competitiveness "has reached a low level". 

The Hungarian Foreign Minister added that today in Brussels, he will "fight" for increasing the competitiveness of Europe and maintaining cooperation between the East and the West. 

The EU member states have been presented with a proposal for the 12th package of sanctions against Russia. 

The proposal provides for the imposition of sanctions against more than 120 individuals and legal entities for their role in undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. This concerns representatives of the military, defence and IT sectors of the Russian Federation, as well as "other important economic operators". 

The proposed measures also go after those who organised the most recent sham "elections" in the areas of Ukraine that Russia has temporarily occupied, those in charge of forcing Ukrainian children to undergo "re-education" and individuals who disseminate propaganda and false information in support of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. 

The European Commission also proposes to introduce new bans on imports and exports, as well as measures aimed at tightening the ceiling on oil prices and countering the evasion of EU sanctions.