Slovakia has threatened to block the renewal of existing EU sanctions against over 2,000 Russian individuals unless oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov are removed from the list. This defiance coincides with Hungary’s veto of a 20th round of sanctions and a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, creating a significant funding crisis ahead of a April 1 deadline. Both nations claim their opposition stems from Ukraine’s alleged failure to maintain the Druzhba oil pipeline, though EU officials have offered to fund and manage any necessary repairs. EU leaders are now racing to break these vetoes at an upcoming summit on March 19.
Date: March 10, 2026. Source: euobserver.com