Hungary’s obstruction of EU sanctions against Russia appears to align with the interests of Kremlin-linked oligarchs, the Ukrainian President’s representative on sanctions policy has warned, raising fresh concerns over decision-making within the bloc.
In a comment to Kyiv Post, Vladyslav Vlasyuk said reports that Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto passed information about internal EU processes to Russia while pushing to ease sanctions helps explain a series of previously “illogical” outcomes.
“The information… explains a number of decisions that previously seemed illogical,” Vlasyuk said.
He pointed to several high-profile cases, including the continued absence of sanctions against Patriarch Kirill, which he said was made possible by Hungary’s blockade.
Similarly, restrictions were lifted on Russian businessmen Grigory Berezkin and Farkhad Akhmedov at Budapest’s initiative, while efforts are ongoing to ease sanctions on Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven.
At the same time, Vlasyuk cautioned against overstating Szijjarto’s personal role, arguing the issue lies in the EU’s unanimity-based decision-making system.
“This creates a situation where one country can block decisions until it receives the desired concessions,” he told Kyiv Post.
In Hungary’s case, he added, its demands often appear unrelated to declared priorities such as energy security or sovereignty.
“Instead, they strangely coincide with the interests of individual Russian oligarchs, which raises reasonable questions about the true motives,” Vlasyuk said.
He urged the European Union to reconsider its approach to sanctions policy, warning that the current system leaves it vulnerable to political leverage from individual member states.
Leaked calls suggest that Szijjártó promised Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to work toward removing sanctioned Russians from EU lists, coordinating efforts with Slovakia. The recordings were published by the investigative outlet VSquare.
In a call dated Aug. 30, 2024, shortly after returning from St. Petersburg, Szijjártó assured Lavrov he would push to delist Gulbahor Ismailova, the sister of Russian-Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
“We will do our best in order to get her off,” he said, adding, “I am always at your disposal.”
Ismailova was removed from EU sanctions seven months later, alongside Russian businessman Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor and Russia’s sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov.
According to an unnamed EU diplomat cited by VSquare, Hungary routinely submits extensive lists of individuals for delisting and threatens to block broader sanctions packages until concessions are made.
On a June 30, 2025 call with Russia’s deputy energy minister Pavel Sorokin, Szijjártó was heard pushing back against EU energy sanctions.
Responding to questions about restrictions on the Dubai-based firm 2River, Szijjártó said Hungary could not challenge the decision because, as a landlocked country, the bloc deemed it outside Budapest’s direct interests.
Moreover, he revealed that Hungary and Slovakia had stalled the EU’s 18th sanctions package until the bloc allows them to continue buying Russian oil and gas.
The leaks also reinforce allegations that Szijjártó shared sensitive EU discussions with Moscow. In the same call, he relayed details from an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, referencing comments by Lithuania’s former foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Landsbergis confirmed the exchange and described Szijjártó as a “Russian mole,” warning that Hungary’s presence in EU and NATO meetings could compromise their integrity.
Szijjártó told Sorokin he was actively working to block the package, claiming he had already helped remove 72 of 128 sanctioned entities. He also asked for Moscow’s assistance in building arguments to influence EU decisions.
Notably, days after Szijjártó’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, Hungarian authorities seized two armored vehicles belonging to Ukraine’s state-owned Oshadbank that were transporting cash through Hungary.