BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union rejected the election in Belarus on Sunday as illegitimate and threatened new sanctions. Belarus held an orchestrated vote virtually guaranteed to give 70-year-old autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko yet another term on top of his three decades in power.

Foreign ministers from member states will attend a Council of the European Union meeting on Monday in Brussels. The meeting will focus on reviewing the 16th package of sanctions against Russia, which was planned for the third anniversary of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

As Magyar Nemzet reported, Hungary blocked the extension of sanctions against Russia, putting significant pressure on European Union decision-makers. Prime Minister Viktor Orban made it clear that Hungary's support is conditional on the resumption of natural gas and oil transit through Ukraine, which has been halted in recently.

Hungary’s representatives have not yet agreed to a decision on the extension of EU sanctions against Russia. The issue will be considered at an EU Council meeting at foreign minister level on Monday,

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia is posing an existential threat to the European Union's security and to only way to address that is to increase spending on defence, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday, adding that the EU had for too long offered Russia alternatives.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described US President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and sanctions against Russia as “smart and pragmatic.”

Hungary wants the European Union to persuade Ukraine to resume gas transit from Russia to Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday, signalling a tough debate as the EU seeks to extend its sanctions against Russia over the coming week.

Hungary is imposing conditions on Ukraine in return for agreeing to the extension of the EU's economic sanctions on Russia, which expire at the end of the month. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on state radio that Kiev should reopen the pipeline that was closed at the beginning of the year and had previously transported Russian natural gas to Central Europe,

Hungary said it will consult the United States before making a decision about renewing the European Union’s sanctions against Russia as a deadline looms at the end of the month.

Russia's oil shipments via the Baltic Sea fell by roughly 10% in the last four months of 2024, the Finnish Border Guard said, as the impact of EU sanctions against Russian oil and gas exports adopted in June took effect.

As well as transiting Azerbaijani gas and exporting its own domestic reserves, Turkey imports fuel from Russia via the TurkStream pipeline under the Black Sea. After the Kremlin's agreement with Ukraine ended on Jan. 1, the underwater link is the only remaining route for Moscow to ship supplies to Europe.

Hungary wants the European Union to intervene in a gas dispute it has with Ukraine, a potential sign of friction in the bloc’s upcoming discussions over renewing sanctions against Russia.