Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Szijártó said on Monday that the EU's new package of sanctions against Russia is pointless, because it is only an exemplary step aimed at "pleasing Washington" and liberals**.
Earlier in the day, EU foreign ministers discussed the new sanctions they seek to impose on Russia by February 24, the anniversary of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. According to **, the 13th batch of sanctions is expected to include up to193 individuals and legal entities。Most of them will come from Russia, but sanctions may also be imposed on individuals or organizations from Belarus, China, India, Turkey and North Korea.
The upcoming anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine should encourage European politicians to push for a ceasefire and peace talks, but "there are no peace proposals on today's agenda," Szijjártó added.
After Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, Western countries and their allies launched comprehensive sanctions against Russia, especially the European Union, which has adopted 12 sanctions. These measures include freezing Russia's foreign exchange reserves and halting international payments from Russian banks.