Four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union no longer projects the image of firm unity that marked the early stages of the conflict. Hungary and Slovakia halt the twentieth package of sanctions, highlighting the increasing political fatigue within the bloc.
On Monday, the 20th package of sanctions against Moscow failed to get the unanimous support of the bloc’s foreign ministers, exposing political fissures that have long ceased to be merely anecdotal. The new package, designed to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the war, was blocked by Hungary and Slovakia, which maintain reservations about the scope of some of the proposed measures, particularly in the energy and maritime sectors. “Unfortunately, we have not reached an agreement on the twentieth package of sanctions. It is a setback and a message we did not want to send today, but the work continues,” admitted the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, after the Council meeting in Brussels.
