00:00The neo-Hungarian government has signaled its readiness to allow the European Union to sanction Patriarch Kirill,
00:06the head of Russia's Orthodox Church, and other individuals whom former Prime Minister Viktor Orban had previously protected.
00:15A mini-package of sanctions is already under preparation, EU officials told Euronews.
00:22The move can pave the way for Kirill, one of the most influential religious figures in Russia,
00:28with considerable political clout, to be added to the bloc's blacklist.
00:33The EU first tried to blacklist Kirill in 2022,
00:37accusing him of supporting the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and spreading revisionist propaganda.
00:44But Hungary, under Orban, blocked the move, calling it an issue of religious freedom.
00:50Brussels hopes that Orban's successor, Peter Maia, will now allow the decision.
00:55Keen to distance himself from Orban's notorious use of veto power,
01:01Maia believes sanctions which would undermine Hungary's economic stability are an absolute no-go.
01:09According to Martin Adju, a close ally of Maia who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian Parliament,
01:15the new government is expected not to block joint EU efforts at increasing the pressure on Russia to end its
01:24war against Ukraine.
Comments