Hungary wants to remove eight individuals from the European Union's Russia sanctions list and receive fresh guarantees on Ukraine gas transit talks before agreeing to renew the restrictions, EU diplomats said.

The independence of Hungary's courts has been a contentious issue, causing a rift between Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government and the European Union. Judges began to express discontent in November when an agreement was signed between the government and the three main judicial representative bodies that tied salary rises to broad-based reforms.

Hungary will not consent to rushing ahead with the extension of sanction on Russian individuals at the European Union's foreign ministers meeting on Monday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

Hungary will be the one to decide whether Ukraine is able to achieve its hopes of joining the European Union in the future, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Saturday in an escalation of his adversarial posture toward Hungary's war-ravaged neighbor.

Hungary will be the one to decide whether Ukraine is able to achieve its hopes of joining the European Union in the future, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Saturday in an escalation of his adversarial posture toward Hungary’s war-ravaged neighbor.

EU diplomats say that Hungary wants to remove 8 individuals from the European Union’s Russia sanctions list, and to receive new

Hungary wants to remove eight individuals from the European Union's Russia sanctions list and receive fresh guarantees on Ukraine gas transit talks before agreeing to renew the restrictions, EU diplomats said.

Hungary wants the European Union to remove eight individuals from its sanctions list against Russia. In that case, it may support the extension of restrictions, Reuters informs. According to the media outlet,

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 seeks to remove eight individuals from the EU's Russia sanctions list and demands new guarantees on Ukraine gas transit discussions before consenting to sanctions renewal. Despite the EU's need for unanimous agreement to extend sanctions,

FM Szijjarto also recalled that in January, Hungary received a four-point guarantee from the European Commission regarding energy security. However, even the simplest of these commitments was not honored—last week, a consultation on gas transit was held without Hungary being invited.

Ireland has confirmed its intention to join a European Commission infringement case against Hungary at the Court of Justice of the European Union.