Hungarian foreign minister "saved" Patriarch Kirill and Russia's UN ambassador from EU sanctions

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said he prevented Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and Vasily Nebenzia, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, from being included on an EU sanctions list.

As reported by Magyar Hang, Szijjártó explained at a press conference following a meeting of EU foreign ministers that he did not block the introduction of the 15th package of EU sanctions against Russia because it provides an exemption for Hungary regarding the export of Russian oil products.

"This was important to us, and since we had managed to remove some crazy ideas from this sanctions package, we did not veto it," he added.

By "crazy ideas", the Hungarian foreign minister meant the imposition of sanctions on Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. All attempts to sanction Patriarch Kirill have been blocked since 2022 due to Budapest's opposition.

"I believe that the imposition of sanctions on church leaders and officials should be avoided at all costs, because if we cannot talk to each other through the church, the last hope for peace will be lost," Szijjártó said.

He also stated that the EU had planned to impose sanctions on Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia, which he described as strange, since the UN is "the last refuge where political consultations are held" and sanctions "would cut off another final path to peace".

On Monday, 16 December, the Council of the European Union adopted its 15th package of economic and individual restrictive measures, which included North Korean officials and Chinese suppliers of drone kits.

As part of the package, the EU imposed sanctions on 54 individuals and 30 organisations. These measures are intended to counteract sanctions evasion by targeting Russia's "shadow fleet" and to weaken Russia's defence industrial base.