Media: US Congress prepares sanctions against top Hungarian politicians

Published:

14 Apr 2023 13:03 GMT

The bill is expected to go before US lawmakers in May.

A bipartisan group in the US Congress is drafting documents to sanction important Hungarian politicians linked to the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. This was reported this Thursday by the British newspaper Guardianciting sources familiar with the matter.

The sanctioning project would include former officials and supporters of the Executive, most of whom are affiliated with the ruling Fidesz party, which maintains contacts with the US conservative sector. The elaboration of the restrictions has been developing since last year and it is expected that formally presented to Congress in May. The newspaper’s informants indicated that the initiative could gain broad support among lawmakers.

Washington puts pressure on Budapest

Meanwhile, this Thursday Hungary advertisement his plans to leave International Investment Bank (IIB), composed, among other countries, by Russia. The decision came a day after the US Treasury Department penalize the Budapest-based IIB as part of a new package of restrictions against Russian individuals and entities.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto expressed his frustration at US pressure, commenting on the bank’s departure. “We accept and understand that we represent different positionsbut we do not understand why it is necessary to pressure other states to change theirs,” he asserted.

The day before, the US ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman, stated that, unlike other NATO members, Budapest ignored the warnings Washington on the activities of the bank in question, described by the diplomat as an “entity controlled by Russia”.

“Hungary dismissed the US Government’s concerns about the risks that its continued presence [en el IIB] represents for the Alliance [Atlántica]. […] We have concerns about the continued eagerness of the Hungarian leadership to expand and deepen ties with the Russian Federation” Pressman said.

• Hungary Has refused to supply arms to kyiv and has criticized on repeated occasions the EU sanctions against Russia. The Central European country, which is highly dependent on russian energy supplies, business an exemption in the application of the partial embargo decreed by Brussels against Russian oil. In addition, was awarded an exemption in the application of the cap on the price of Russian crude agreed by the EU, the G7 and Australia.