EU Foreign Ministers Meet in Brussels on Ukraine War as Hungary Blocks New Russia Sanctions

Kaja Kallas says the 20th sanctions package stalled; Berlin urges Budapest to rethink its position

EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on 23 February to discuss Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The meeting, chaired by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, included an exchange with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who joined via video link, according to the Council of the EU’s official readout.

After the session, EU officials acknowledged they failed to reach agreement on a “20th” sanctions package against Russia, with Hungary cited as the key holdout in multiple reports.

 The Meeting: Ukraine, Sanctions and EU Unity

The Council’s official agenda listed Ukraine as the first major item, and the EU’s official summary notes that ministers held a discussion ahead of the anniversary, opening with an intervention by Sybiha on the situation on the ground and Ukraine’s priorities.

In parallel, ministers sought to finalise a new sanctions package intended to tighten restrictions on Russia. Kallas later described the failure to agree as a setback in the EU’s attempt to send a strong signal of support for Ukraine at a symbolic moment.

Hungary’s Position: Oil Transit Dispute and a Loan

Veto Hungarian officials linked Budapest’s stance to the halt in Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Hungary and Slovakia and has been disrupted since late January following damage in Ukraine’s war environment. Hungary argues Ukraine is responsible for the prolonged outage; Kyiv has said the interruption followed a Russian drone strike and rejects allegations of deliberate obstruction.

Euronews reported that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told counterparts Hungary would not support the sanctions package and also opposed an EU €90 billion loan for Ukraine until oil deliveries resume—an account echoed in broader diplomatic reporting of the same Brussels meeting.

 Germany’s Warning: “Do Not Betray” Europe’s Sanctions Line

Ahead of and during the Brussels meetings, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul publicly urged Hungary to reconsider, saying it would be wrong for Hungary to “betray its own struggle for freedom and European sovereignty” by blocking Russia sanctions. Reuters reported Wadephul saying EU ministers would press the point with Hungarian counterparts both in Brussels and Budapest.  Berlin’s intervention underlined frustration among several EU capitals that unanimity rules allow a single member state to delay sanctions at politically sensitive moments.