War

A thousand hundred and forty -seventh day. The EU is looking for a way to prevent Hungary to block sanctions against Russia

Medusa from February 24, 2022 lives on the Russian-Ukrainian war on the air. In our daily materials, we publish your letters, because we are sure: we must continue to talk about the war. What feelings do you experience because of the ongoing war? How does it affect you personally right now? How has your attitude to what is happening, towards Russia, Ukraine, to the world changed over these three years of the war? Look for a feedback form at the end of this article. A review of the previous day can be read here .

World

The EU is looking for a way to get around the likely veto of Hungary to extend sanctions against Russia

The lawyers of the European Union began searching for a solution that would help to circumvent the potential veto of Hungary in the issue of extending anti -Russian sanctions, writes Radio Liberty with reference to sources.

EU sanctions are extended every six months, for this, unanimous approval of all EU member countries is necessary. Hungary repeatedly threatened to impose a veto, but each time in the end she supported sanctions. Usually this happened after receiving preferences for Hungary from Brussels.

Once again, the issue of extension of sanctions will be considered in July. The EU is afraid that the position of Hungary will become even more pro -Russian - and the veto will not be avoided.

Now the European Union lawyers are considering several options for the development of events.

Formally, sanctions are two documents - a decision and a decree, the texts of which are almost the same. First, the EU countries unanimously make a decision, and then execute it through the decision. It is the resolution that needs to be extended every six months, and once the decision has remained in force until it is canceled by a majority of votes of member countries. Thus, even if Hungary blocks the decision on the next extension of the sanctions, the decision on sanctions will remain in force - and they will continue to act. At the same time, the sources of Radio Liberty call this measure “extreme”, since from a legal point of view it is not indisputable, and Hungary can go to court.

As another option, the possibility of bargaining about the new package of sanctions is considered. The bottom line is this: the European Union will offer a new tough package, Hungary will oppose, after which Brussels will agree not to impose new sanctions, and Budapest will support the extension of the old ones. This will allow the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban to talk about his political victory.

The third option is to increase tariffs for Russian goods if the sanctions are canceled. This does not need a unanimous decision of the EU member states. Pacific sanctions can also be replaced by restrictions introduced by individual countries at the national level - but not all of them have a legislation that guarantees the application of such restrictions.

The previous time European sanctions against Russia were extended in January 2025. Until the last moment, Hungary refused to support such a decision. Viktor Orban, in particular, explained this by the fact that after Donald Trump’s entry into the post of US president, American sanctions policy may change, which will make European sanctions unnecessary. Budapest also indicated that they incur losses due to the closure of the gas pipeline from Russia. As a result, Hungary received additional guarantees of energy security from the EU and did not impose a veto to extend the sanctions. The publication Politico wrote that the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked to support the sanctions the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Peter Siyyarto.

Ukraine

China checks its citizens who are captured by the Armed Forces

China authorities are checking the actions of two of their citizens who were captured in Ukraine, said the press secretary of the PRC of China Lin Jian in response to the Ukrinform request.

The fact that the two citizens of China who fought on the side of the Russian Federation were captured in the Donetsk region, on April 8, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky declared, noting that Russia “directly or indirectly” involves China into the war. A few days later, Zelensky said that in the army of the Russian Federation, "at least several hundred citizens of China are fighting."

On April 14, prisoners talked with reporters in Kiev. They stated that they were lured to war. One of the prisoners, Van Guangjun, said that he had agreed on the work of a rehabilitologist for the wounded military, but when he arrived in Russia, he "got into an army where there was no choice." Another captive, Zhang Renbo, claimed that he was offered to work as a builder, and when “another began”, he already “could not do anything”.

Both prisoners denied that they had any contacts with official Beijing. They asked China to intervene in the case and return them to their homeland.

The Press Secretary of the PRC Lin Lin Jian said that the government is checking information about the captured citizens of the country. He emphasized that “the behavior of individual citizens of the PRC abroad” will be evaluated in accordance with Chinese law, and promised that Beijing would take the necessary consular actions.

Lin Jian once again reminded of the official position of China - the war of Russia and Ukraine must be stopped through peace negotiations. He urged "to refrain from political manipulations and the use of this situation for self -patient and advertising."

With the exception of the military from the DPRK, who take part in battles on the side of the Russian Federation with the consent of the official Pyongyan, mercenaries from other countries fight both in the Russian and Ukrainian army as private individuals. At the same time, cases were already known earlier when foreigners were lured into the army of the Russian Federation with deception or coercion.

In 2024, several dozen citizens of India turned to the authorities of their country with a request to return to their homeland - they said that in India they were deceived by recruiters, promising work by guards in Russia, and after arriving in the Russian Federation they were given to sign contracts, which they did not understand the meaning of, after which they sent them to the front. The media also repeatedly wrote that in Russia itself the authorities regularly force students from Africa and workers from Central Asia to conclude contracts, threatening not to extend their visas.

War through the eyes of readers "Medusa"

Victoria . I feel that my youth was stolen from me, that my possibilities were taken away from me, abducted and destroyed my dreams, and deprived me of hope. I am 23 years old, and I have so much anger and hatred that sometimes I myself am scared from myself. I hate my country that bombing my neighbor, because of which I cannot realize as a professional who I do not need and who kills the future of millions of people. I hate the population of this country, which for the most part reconciled with what is happening, timidly waiting for the world and continues to live and work, as if nothing happened that airports periodically do not close due to a missile threat that their state would not steal their freedom and their lives, as if peaceful people were not dying in a neighboring country.

I hate Europe in which I am now, because indifference, hypocrisy, practicality and their grievances against Russia and Russians are hiding behind the mask of democracy, the best of whom are trying to do something, even left, and they are hated here and they are deprived of oxygen. I hate the abolition of Russian culture, the Russian language. I hate the concept of “collective responsibility”: for some reason everyone forgot that in totalitarian regimes this concept was an instrument of fear, where the “enemy of the people” could be dismissed, arrested and sent, and in the army this concept is used to maintain discipline and again fear, they say, if one was mistaken, we are squeezing because of one.

Absurd that I am to blame for the actions of a crazy president and those who support him. And what? Was all the Germans guilty? Even Zweig who hanged himself? Why do Ukrainians hate me? For the fact that I was not lucky enough to be born at the wrong time and in the wrong place? Because my great -grandfather was born and died in the Dnieper, my grandfather was born there, and then was exiled to Siberia? For the fact that I am now a stranger and lost person everywhere? And in Russia no one needs, and in Europe - nowhere. I have no hope of the world, for a great future, to open borders and families that can recover after loss, pain, horror. Hope in me was dying for a long time and painfully, it seems to me that I had already heard the last breath.

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