European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, as continued Hungarian opposition keeps consensus out of reach.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the meeting, Kaja Kallas said the bloc would keep working to push the proposal forward by engaging member states, but she did not expect a breakthrough during the talks.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticised Hungary more directly, accusing Budapest of showing a “shocking” lack of solidarity with Ukraine. He also suggested the Hungarian government was stoking hostility towards Kyiv for domestic political advantage.
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Johann Wadephul expressed surprise at Hungary’s stance and urged Budapest to reconsider, arguing that the country should remain aligned with European values while acknowledging Hungary’s own history of struggles for freedom.
“We should be ready for talks, but it is ultimately up to Russia to show it is willing to make meaningful concessions to Ukraine,” he said.
He also stressed that Europe must maintain pressure on Moscow through sustained sanctions, along with continued political and military support for Ukraine.
Ahead of the meeting, Péter Szijjártó accused Kyiv of “political blackmail”, arguing there is no physical obstacle to resuming crude oil transit.
“The pipeline itself has not been damaged and there is currently no physical reason to restart the deliveries. It is purely a political decision by Ukraine,” Szijjártó told reporters.
He added that the move was coordinated with the Hungarian political opposition and officials in the European Union.
“The problem is that the Ukrainian state hates Hungary,” he said. “Ukraine is behaving in a very hostile way towards Hungary. Please ask the Ukrainians why they have stopped the oil deliveries and put Hungary’s energy security at risk.”
Hungary blocks Ukraine aid and pipeline dispute continues
Hungary has also said it will block a €90 billion financial assistance plan for Ukraine until oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline are restored.
The pipeline, which carries Russian crude through Ukraine to Central Europe, has been out of operation since late January.
Kyiv says the disruption followed Russian drone strikes on energy infrastructure, while Hungarian and Slovak authorities argue that Ukraine has failed to repair the damaged system.
The dispute has further complicated EU unity as the bloc approaches the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
EU foreign ministers were also due to meet Nikolay Mladenov, director of the Trump-backed Board of Peace initiative for Gaza, in Brussels to discuss the future of Gaza’s reconstruction and stabilisation. The talks form part of broader discussions covering the war in Ukraine and potential new sanctions against Russia.
The EU continues to support the United Nations’ role in Gaza, although some governments remain cautious about engaging formally with the new structure.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 9 October 2026 with five key developments from the CIS summit in Turkmenistan....
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
The Saudi-led coalition says it has carried out a series of military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen after attacks on two Saudi airports left three people dead and dozens injured.
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states have signed two key documents at the 8th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, formalising a broader framework for regional cooperation in transport, trade, energy, digitalisation and security.
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school. But within weeks, a movement that began outside French lycées had spread across the country.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
The Pentagon says it will livestream the execution of former U.S. Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, who was sentenced to death for killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. It would be the first publicly livestreamed execution in U.S. history.
U.S. federal immigration agents shot and wounded a man in a car with a five-year-old boy inside in New York City’s Bronx neighbourhood on Thursday, city officials, police and witnesses say.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sharply criticised the United States following a series of Russian attacks that killed more than 70 people over two days, arguing that Washington is not doing enough to help Kyiv counter Moscow's continued assault.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
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