Long reputed to be Russia-friendly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has often railed against the continuation of the EU sanctions, claiming that they impose an intolerable burden on the Hungarian economy and provide no solution for the carnage in Ukraine.

The EU has slapped 15 rounds of sanctions on Russia since it's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and member states are negotiating a 16th. But Moscow has used a variety of tricks to evade sanctions and divert goods and money to Russia, including convoluted financial schemes.

Uncertainty in U.S. Policy on Ukraine. While the U.S. remains Ukraine’s largest military backer, Trump has frequently criticized aid to Kyiv and sent mixed signals on future sup

The European Union will moved forward with a renewal on Russian sanctions after a deal was struck with Hungary, according to multiple reports.

At the same time, the slow rollout frustrates European fertilizer producers, who say Moscow is being given more time to keep on flooding the market. Last year, the EU imported 6.17 million metric tons of Russian fertilizer worth €2.12 billion — the highest volume since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to Eurostat and customs data.

The European Union proposed imposing tariffs on the remaining agricultural products coming from Russia and Belarus that aren’t already facing duties, as well as some nitrogen-based fertilizers.

The EU renewed sanctions on Russia and called for unity to respond to Donald Trump's transactional approach. The US president's warning to Moscow to end the war or face more penalties was more in line with EU policy.

The European Union is considering a ban on Russian aluminum imports, along with other sanctions, but faces growing opposition from some member states.

Earlier, Brussels assured Budapest of providing energy security guarantees, including the commitment to seek Ukraine’s resumption of transit of Russian gas, to prevent the disruption of transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline,

MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. Obstacles to peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, NATO's escalating defense budget, and the sharp decline in Russia-Germany trade turnover. These stories topped the headlines in Friday’s newspapers across Russia.

Russia on Friday condemned an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump to build a new missile defence shield, accusing the United States of trying to upset the global nuclear balance and pave the wave for military confrontation in space.