Hungary threatens to block EU sanctions again
Hungary threatens once again to water down the European Union's sanctions regime against Russia , insisting on the removal of nine people from the list of restrictive measures imposed on more than 1,300 individuals and 170 entities in the course of several rounds of actions on the in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Budapest once again wants Alisher Usmanov, Pyotr Aven and Viktor Rashnikov removed from the list of restrictive measures imposed on Moscow in the course of several rounds of actions following the invasion of Ukraine.
Hungary attempted to remove the trio from sanctions the last time the bloc's restrictive measures were due to be lifted, in September, but quickly backed down after political pressure.
Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, has long criticized the EU's stance on Moscow during the conflict, saying the sanctions have hurt the bloc without weakening Russia or helping Ukraine.
The sanctions list must receive unanimous approval to be renewed as the new March 15 deadline approaches.
Hungary is also trying to remove Usmanov's sister Gulbahor Ismailova; Aven's business partner Mikhail Fridman; Belarusian-Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin; his son Nikita Mazepin; and Russian oligarchs Grygory Berezkin and Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor.
The official EU magazine calls Usmanov a "pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin".
He has been called one of "Putin's favorite oligarchs" and is seen as a fixer for the president's business.
The sanctions have already led to the seizure of a $600 million yacht – the largest in the world – linked to Usmanov, who has unsuccessfully challenged the measures in the European Court of Justice. Sister Ismailova was also fined after investigations revealed Usmanov had indirectly transferred his assets to her.
The EU says Aven “is one of about 50 wealthy Russian businessmen who meet regularly with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. It does not operate independently of the president's requests."
Rashnikov, however, was added to the list in March, and Brussels describes him as "a prominent Russian oligarch who is the owner and chairman of the board of the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) company". MMK is one of Russia's largest taxpayers."
Mazepin, who is the owner and CEO of the mineral fertilizer company Uralchem, is according to the EU “a member of Vladimir Putin's closest circle” and “a leading businessman involved in economic sectors that provide a substantial source of enter the government of Russia".
Their son Nikita, a racing driver, was a member of the Haas Formula 1 team before being sanctioned by the EU in March and was listed due to his close association with his father.
Kantor, who was sanctioned in April, heads Acron Group, one of Russia's largest fertilizer producers. According to Brussels, Kantor has "openly declared his support and friendship for President Putin on numerous occasions and enjoys good relations with the Kremlin".
Berezkin was sanctioned around the same time and was referred to in the EU's official journal as "a prominent Russian businessman, considered to be President Vladimir Putin's 'henchman'".
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The article Hungary threatens to block EU sanctions again comes from Scenari Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/lungheria-minaccia-di-bloccare-ancora-le-sanzioni-ue/ on Thu, 19 Jan 2023 07:00:14 +0000.