Hungary opposes sanctions against Russia

10 May 2022

„Accepting the sixth package of UE sanctions against Russia would be a historical failure ” – warned the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban in his letter to the head of the European Commission Ursula von den Leyen. Extracts of this letter have been published by “Financial Times”.

Head of the Hungarian government has already announced twice before that his country “will not give way under the pressure “ and will not support sanctions against Russia, which would mean resignation from the purchase of Russian gas and oil.

Neither Hungary nor the EU as a whole is ready to adopt and implement the measures as proposed by the EC. Sanctions should be adopted at a time when all necessary preconditions are met in all member states – the media quote Viktor Orban’s letter, in which he states among others that the sixth package of sanctions goes far beyond the UE consensus.

“The European Commission cannot create a situation, in which the sanctions would bring greater harm to Hungary than Russia” – underlined the head of the Hungarian government. He also paid attention to the fact that adopting the sanction by the European Commission would require from one country “ serious upgrade in alternative supply infrastructure and a complete rearrangement of refinery capacities. . These efforts take time and necessitate investment that is redundant and therefore cannot be financed on a market basis. The prime minister of Hungary also underlined that the prices of energy have already reached the highest value for 40 years and the sanctions would lead to their further rise increasing at the same time the burden for the poorest ones.

Reuters quoted , referring to EU source, that Hungary and Slovakia will be able to import Russian oil until the end of 2023 based on current contracts. It is to be proposed by the European Commission in order to avoid these two countries’ veto against sanctions – Hungary will not support UE sanctions against Russia, which would make it impossible to import Russian oil and gas – declared Hungarian minister of foreign affairs Peter Szijjarto on Tuesday. (info:euroactiv.pl, photo:theweek)

CONGRESS 2026 AGENDA

08 May 2026

Three Seas Initiative Summit in Dubrovnik

30 April 2026

Parliamentary Summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Zagreb

26 March 2026

Rada Programowa Samorządowego Kongresu Trójmorza 2026

20 March 2026

Krok w stronę rozszerzenia Inicjatywy Trójmorza

12 March 2026

About the Three Seas Initiative in Davos

23 January 2026

Registration for the 6th Three Seas Local Government Congress is now open

21 January 2026

A visit to Slovakia by President Karol Nawrocki

07 November 2025

The Three Seas Local Government Congress under the Honorary Patronage of the President of Poland

03 November 2025

The Three Seas Local Government Congress under the Honorary Patronage of the President of Poland

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03 November 2025

The 6 th edition of the Three Seas Local Government Congress will be held May 27-28, 2026, under the Honorary Patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. This distinction recognises the growing importance of the event, which has become a key platform for cooperation among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, both in the economic and infrastructural dimensions.

Over five editions of the Congress (2020–2025), more than 5,000 participants from 24 countries have taken part, 104 discussion panels have been held, and 64 foreign delegations have visited Lublin. The scale and international character of the event confirm its increasing role in shaping dialogue across the Three Seas region.

We, the countries representing Central and Eastern Europe (…) through the Three Seas Initiative, Via Baltica, and Via Carpatia, share not only our voice and vision of building a civic community, but also tangible results showing that the Baltic States and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are capable of implementing major infrastructure projects, emphasised President Karol Nawrocki during his visit to Vilnius last month.

These words perfectly capture the spirit of the Three Seas Congress, which brings together political, academic, and business communities around a shared goal, building a strong, integrated, and cooperative Central and Eastern Europe.

It is also worth noting that in April 2025, Poland hosted the 10th Three Seas Initiative Summit. During the event, participants emphasised the importance of infrastructure and economic cooperation in the region and the need to strengthen cohesion across Central and Eastern Europe. This year, the cooperation format has been expanded to include new members – Albania and Montenegro joined the Three Seas Initiative in the capacity of associated participating states, while Spain and Turkey became new strategic partners. It has already been announced that the 11th Summit will take place in Croatia in 2026.

We cordially invite you to take part in the Three Seas Local Government Congress! Registration will open in the end of January. More details will soon be available at www.congress.lubelskie.pl and on our social media channels.