Russia targets Cyprus, Hungary, and Italy for sanctions veto

Moscow has begun lobbying what it sees as sympathetic EU capitals – Budapest, Nicosia, and Rome – to veto next year's renewal of Russia sanctions.
The first batch of E.U. measures – an asset freeze on Ukraine’s former president Viktor Yanukovych (now hiding in Russia) and 17 associates – expires in March. The next batch – visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials linked to Russia's annexation of Crimea – ends in April.
The most painful sanctions – on Russian banks and energy firms, imposed after the Malaysian Airlines disaster – end in July.
Member states must agree by consensus to extend their validity—but if one or more of them break ranks, the sanctions will fall.

This post was published at EU Observer