Hungary objects to sanctioning Patriarch Kirill

Hungary objects to sanctioning Patriarch Kirill

A meeting of EU ambassadors broke off this afternoon without final endorsement of the bloc’s sixth sanctions package.

Qazet.az reports that some diplomats have told the BBC that Hungary raised objections about putting the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and Putin ally, Patriarch Kirill, on the sanctions list.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has previously spoken out against targeting Patriarch Kirill saying his country:

Quote Message: Will not support putting church leaders on a sanctions list. This affects the issue of religious freedom for communities in Hungary, and that is sacrosanct."

Will not support putting church leaders on a sanctions list. This affects the issue of religious freedom for communities in Hungary, and that is sacrosanct."

Diplomats also report some technical issues on the oil ban but say they’re relatively minor and not unusual when thrashing out legal texts.

EU leaders clinched a late night deal on the bloc’s latest sanctions package at a summit earlier this week, after weeks of wrangling.

Hungary won a major concession but it’s not clear that leaders discussed the listing of Patriarch Kirill.

Even with high level political agreement, sanctions packages still have to be worked into a legal text and get final sign off by member states.