Hungary has announced that it will not rush to approve the extension of European Union (EU) sanctions on Russian individuals, despite strong pressure from Brussels. The country’s foreign minister, who is currently in Washington for diplomatic discussions,

Hungary's top diplomat vowed on Thursday to delay extending EU sanctions against Russian individuals -- including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov -- to avoid making Russian-US negotiations "difficult".

"The package extends the flight ban to enable the listing of third-country carriers conducting domestic flights within Russia or supplying aviation goods to Russian airlines or fo

EU foreign ministers adopted a 16th package of sanctions against Russia on, which targets a cryptocurrency exchange for the first time, a Council statement said.

The foreign ministers of the EU countries unanimously supported the 16th package of EU sanctions against Russia on Monday in Brussels. According to an EU source, it will encompass additional sectors of the Russian economy and parts of the so-called shadow fleet that transports oil from Russia.

The European Union has announced expanded sanctions on Belarus as part of its 16th package of restrictive measures targeting Russia, according to a statement from the European Commission on February 24,