The European Union has renewed its wide-ranging sanctions against Russia after it overcame the objections of the government of Moscow-friendly Hungarian leader Viktor Orban by providing assurances on energy-related issues.
“Europe delivers: EU Foreign Ministers just agreed to extend again the sanctions on Russia,” EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas wrote on X on January 27.
“This will continue to deprive Moscow of revenues to finance its war. Russia needs to pay for the damage they are causing,” she added.
The developments came after Hungarian representatives blocked a joint statement by EU countries to reject the presidential election in Belarus, according to information from RFE/RL sources in Brussels.
SEE ALSO: Hungary Blocks Joint EU Statement On Presidential Elections In Belarus -- SourcesLacking the signatures of representatives from all 27 EU countries on Belarus, Kallas issued her own statement, saying the January 26 vote was not free and fair and calling on the Belarusian authorities to release all political prisoners.
Orban, who maintains friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly opposed the expansion of sanctions against Russia and increased European aid to Kyiv, despite the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
He had initially called for EU coordination with U.S. President Donald Trump -- who has often spoken in admiration of Putin -- before a decision was made on renewing sanctions on Moscow.
However, since his inauguration, Trump has spoken of potential new sanctions against Russia if Putin does not enter into Ukraine peace negotiations, apparently weakening Orban’s position against the measures.
The Hungarian leader then expressed objections to Kyiv’s move to end a deal that transited Russian gas to Hungary through Ukraine.
But the European Commission on January 27 offered a vow saying it was "ready to continue discussions with Ukraine on the supply to Europe through the gas pipeline system in Ukraine."
Asked how meaningful the pledge was, Kallas told a news conference: "Well, it meant [something] to Hungary. So that mattered."
Reuters, which saw the official statement, said it declared that the EU Commission was ready to involve Hungary and Slovakia in the process, although there was no mention of resuming deliveries of Russian gas.
SEE ALSO: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Welcomes Trump's Message For Russia"The Commission will approach Ukraine to request assurances regarding the maintenance of oil pipeline transfers to the EU," the EU statement also said.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said he was satisfied with the assurances.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend said Kyiv was prepared to facilitate transit of gas from Azerbaijan to Europe as an alternative to Russian gas supplies.
"There is gas. There are supply routes from Azerbaijan. The main thing is – to have the political will to work for their people, and not with Moscow on some shadow pocket, as some characters in Eastern Europe do," Zelenskyy said in a joint news conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
Ukraine last year refused to extend a contract with Russian state gas giant Gazprom for the transit of gas supplies to Europe, as Kyiv and the West look to deny Moscow revenue used to fund its war in Ukraine.
Most countries have begun developing alternative sources of gas, although some -- notably Slovakia and Hungary -- have said such means will drive up costs prohibitively.
Slovakia on January 27 also welcomed the commission statement on continuing talks with Ukraine regarding gas transit and that it looks positively on the option of the shipment of gas from Azerbaijan.
"Since the beginning, we had discussed with the Ukrainian government the possibility of shipping other than Russian gas through Ukraine, and therefore we see the Ukrainian side's willingness to discuss such transit as a return to a solution proposed by us," Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said.