Agreement reached on another round of EU sanctions against Russia
Minister of Foreign Affair and Trade Péter Szijjarto said an agreement on another round of sanctions against Russian was reached at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, according to a report by state news wire MTI.
Szijjártó said the new package of sanctions does not contain any restrictions on the delivery of energy. He added that Hungary had "strongly indicated" that it would not support the inclusion of Gazprombank on the sanctions list.
The latest sanctions include an embargo on Russian gold and a tightening of restrictions on trade of dual-use goods, he said.
Hungary is conducting talks with suppliers in both the west and the east on procuring another 700 million cubic meters of gas in addition to the volume the country is getting in the framework of long-term gas delivery contracts, Szijjártó said.
He added that Hungary has enough gas in storage at present to cover 26.6% of annual consumption, "well over" the EU average, which stands under 15%.
A decision was taken by the ministers on Monday on another EUR 500 mln allocation from the European Peace facility to finance weapons deliveries to Ukraine, he said. Hungary did not block the decision, but stands by its earlier decision not to deliver weapons to Ukraine and not to allow the delivery of weapons through the territory of the country, he added.
"Peace is the only solution to the current situation," Szijjártó said.
Szijjártó argued that any measure that prolongs the war in Ukraine is against Hungary's interests and could contribute to a global food crisis. He noted that Ukraine and Russia account for 30% of global wheat exports and 80% of sunflower seed exports. Ukraine's wheat exports will fall by about 25 million tonnes this year, he added.
He said Hungary has ensured transshipment of 368,000 tonnes of grain, so far.
Szijjártó said 843,688 refugees from Ukraine have entered Hungary until now.
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