Hungary has withheld its consent to extend EU sanctions against Russia at the meeting of EU ambassadors on January 24. EU Foreign Ministers will gather on Monday, 27 January, to vote on the issue, but if no agreement is reached by the end of the month,

Hungary wants the European Union to persuade Ukraine to resume gas transit from Russia to Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday, signalling a tough debate as the EU seeks to extend its sanctions against Russia over the coming week.

Hungary is imposing conditions on Ukraine in return for agreeing to the extension of the EU's economic sanctions on Russia, which expire at the end of the month. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on state radio that Kiev should reopen the pipeline that was closed at the beginning of the year and had previously transported Russian natural gas to Central Europe,