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Hungary drops veto and agrees to prolong EU sanctions on Russian individuals

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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly criticised EU sanctions against Russia. © Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
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Hungary has agreed to drop its veto and allow the renewal of the sanctions that the European Union has imposed on more than 2,400 individuals and entities, mainly from Russia, in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The resolution happened on Friday, less than 48 hours before the measures were set to expire, a risky deadlock that had put the bloc in a situation of extraordinary suspense.

Sanctions have to be renewed every six months by unanimity, meaning one member state can single-handedly derail the entire process.

Hungary’s veto was confirmed several times this week in meetings between ambassadors, with unsuccessful attempts on Monday, Wednesday and, most recently, Thursday afternoon. Each failure sent the clock ticking on.

Budapest demanded several names be removed from the blacklist, several diplomats told Euronews. The names were not made public, but Radio Free Europe previously reported the identity of seven oligarchs, including Mikhail Fridman and Dmitry Mazepin, and Russia’s sports minister as part of the request.

Following intense discussions behind the scenes, a compromise was eventually reached to release four names rather than the eight Hungary wanted. Additionally, three individuals who are dead were excluded.

As a result, the prolongation for another six months was approved on Friday morning. The sanctions were set to expire by midnight on Saturday.

The saga marks the second time in three months that Viktor Orbán’s government has put Brussels on edge by threatening to undo the sanctions regime that the bloc has painstakingly built since February 2022.

In January, it took exception to sectoral sections, which cover sweeping bans on oil, coal, technology, finance, luxury goods, transport and broadcasting, and the freezing of €210 billion in assets from Russia’s Central Bank.

Budapest relented after obtaining a non-binding statement on energy security.

This time, it set its sights on the blacklist that includes hundreds of military commanders, government officials, oligarchs, propagandists and Wagner Group mercenaries, all of whom are subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban.

President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, are designated.

The blacklist also targets hundreds of Russian companies in the military, banking, transport, energy, diamond, aviation, IT, telecoms and media sectors.

Hungary argues that Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president and his efforts to strike a peace deal merit a rethink of EU support for Ukraine and EU sanctions on Russia.

The stance is not shared by other member states, who believe pressure on Moscow should continue for the duration of the war. They also want to pursue a “peace through strength” strategy to reinforce Ukraine’s standing in the negotiations and establish the country’s armed forces as an effective, long-lasting security guarantee.

Orbán disagrees with the “peace through strength” mantra and last week prevented the adoption of joint conclusions on Ukraine at the end of a special EU summit, forcing his fellow leaders to release an attached “extract” signed off by 26.

“Hungary has a different strategic approach on Ukraine,” said António Costa, the president of the European Council. “That means that Hungary is isolated among the 27. We respect Hungary’s position, but it’s one out of 27. And 26 are more than one.”

Leaving the summit, Orbán replied: “The European Union has isolated itself from the US, isolated itself from China because of the trade war, and isolated itself from Russia because of the sanction policy. So if someone is isolated here, it’s the European Union.”

The stark political divergence played out during the talks among ambassadors, with Hungary managing to block the roll-over on at least three separate occasions this week.

The veto happened the same week that US and Ukrainian officials announced significant progress in their negotiations, easing tensions between both sides.

Ukraine said it was ready to implement an interim 30-day ceasefire provided Russia reciprocated, while the US agreed to immediately lift the suspension on military assistance and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, which caused consternation in Brussels.

“Ball is in Russia’s court,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

In response, Vladimir Putin said he was in favour of the proposal but asked for certain “nuances” to be clarified before committing himself. Putin heavily implied that Ukraine should stop receiving Western weaponry for the duration of the ceasefire.

The European Commission has confirmed that it is already working on a 17th package of sanctions against Russia.

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Prominent Rivers Monarch Rejects Wike’s Thanksgiving Service In His Domain, Cites Political Tension.

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message is because I called you and your PA severally in order to inform you of the latest development but no response. I’m very conscious of insecurity because of my old age & for the safety of my people.”

Declaring Abalama a non-partisan community, the king stated, “I and my people disassociate ourselves from the said event because we are not aware of the recent update. I think I was deceived with the letter I received earlier from Dr. D. A. Kelly, FNIQS, not knowing it was a different event that is upcoming.”

He urged the Commissioner of Police to take immediate action, warning that the organisers had no right to proceed without his approval.

“Abalama is an autonomous Community with a King and nobody has the right to organize such an event without my knowledge and the consent of my council of chiefs,” he emphasised.

 

The monarch concluded by reaffirming the community’s stance. “I and my people have resolved that the organisers of the event should take the event to anywhere of their choice,” he said, making it clear that Abalama would not be part of it.

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US government shutdown averted as Senate passes spending bill

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted to allow funding to the government. © Getty Images
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The US has averted a government shutdown after the Senate passed a Republican-led measure to keep the government funded for the next six months.

The stopgap funding bill passed in the Senate 54-46, as two Democrats joined all but one Republican senator in voting yes. President Donald Trump must now sign it into law before the Friday midnight deadline.

The key vote came earlier when some Senate Democrats, after fierce debate, allowed the measure to pass a procedural hurdle.

The Senate minority leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, and nine others broke with their colleagues to vote to advance the bill to its final Friday evening vote.

Two Democrats – Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Independent Senator Angus King of Maine – voted in favour of its final passage. Schumer voted “no”.

On Thursday, he announced he would vote to allow the measure to move forward, saying although it wasn’t a bill he liked, he believed triggering a shutdown would be a worse result.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez called Schumer’s willingness to let the spending bill proceed a “huge slap in the face”, adding that there is a “wide sense of betrayal” among the party, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

She said supporting the bill “codifies the chaos and the reckless cuts that Elon Musk has been pursuing”, and that Senate Democrats who voted yes would be empowering “the robbing of our federal government in order to finance tax cuts for billionaires”.

The Democrats had agonised over whether to support the measure, and eventually pushed for a 30-day continuing resolution that was unlikely to earn enough support to pass.

Senator Ted Cruz accused the Democrats of conducting “political theater” and praised the bill’s passage.

“The government is funded, let’s get back to work,” he said in a statement.

The passage is a victory for Trump and congressional Republicans.

On Friday morning, Trump offered rare bipartisan praise of Schumer’s decision to let the bill advance, writing that “a non pass would be a Country destroyer, approval will lead us to new heights”.

The legislation would keep much of the federal funding levels from the Biden Administration in place, with some key changes.

It increases military spending by $6bn (£4.6bn), for items like border security, veterans healthcare, and military spending. But would cut non-defence funding by about $13bn.

Local officials in Washington DC had feared the bill would result in a $1bn cut in federal funds for the city over the next six months. However, the Senate approved a separate bill that kept its current operating budget intact, the New York Times reported.

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Imo council of traditional rulers, gets new deputy chairman

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The Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers has elected a new Deputy Chairman, Eze Fredric Nwachukwu, following the demise of Eze David Osuagwu, the former occupant of the position.

Leading other traditional rulers to the event, the Imo State Chairman of the Council, Eze C. Okeke, prayed for Nwachukwu’s peaceful and successful reign, maintaining that nature abhors a vacuum; hence, the emergence of the new Deputy Chairman.

The event, which took place at the Owerri Zone Council of Traditional Rulers’ office apartment at the Council Headquarters of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Ezeimo Palace, Mbari, Owerri, was witnessed by traditional rulers who came in their traditional attires to observe the ritual of the formal opening of the Deputy Chairman’s office.

Until his emergence, Eze Nwachukwu was the traditional custodian of Ngor Ancient Kingdom, Chairman of the Ngor Okpala LGA Council of Traditional Rulers, and the acting Chairman of the Owerri Zone Council of Traditional Rulers.

Earlier, in his remarks while officially declaring the office open, Eze Okeke, who is also the Chairman of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers, requested a minute of silence to honor and pray for the repose of the soul of the departed occupant of the office, Eze Osuagwu.

He informed the Royal Fathers that the ceremony was necessary, considering the fact that nature abhors a vacuum and that the Owerri Zone Traditional Rulers’ office needed to be occupied to move their activities and programs forward.

Eze Okeke explained that Eze Nwachukwu was enthroned to act in the capacity of Deputy Chairman of the State Council, who will be in charge of the Traditional Rulers of Owerri Zone, pending his official recognition by the Governor of the State.

He urged the new Deputy Chairman to remain committed to his duties and to avoid anything that would run contrary to the high expectations of the Council and the State Government.

He enjoined other Royal Fathers to ensure adequate security in their respective domains and to always uphold the culture and tradition of the land.

Nwachukwu thanked Ezeimo for his support and blessings and assured that he would seek God’s guidance and counsel in the discharge of his duties.

He performed his first official duty in the office with the ritual of the royal breaking of the kola nut and pledged to galvanize the Traditional Rulers of Owerri Zone to support the Chairman of the State Council.

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