Germany and Poland want sanctions on Russian nuclear fuel exports, but Hungary, Czechia, Bulgaria and Slovakia are opposed
Germany, Poland, and the Baltic countries are calling for a ban on Russian nuclear fuel, while Bulgaria, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary oppose sanctions
LOT Polish Airlines block Russian tennis player from boarding flight
The Polish airline company was accused of “discrimination and Russophobia” by some Russian media outlets
Inflation soars in Sweden as increase in food prices unmatched in 70 years
Prices for basic foods like eggs and milk rose by as much as 40 to 50 percent year-over-year in Sweden

German Green MEP appears to have an unhealthy obsession with Viktor Orbán and Hungary
MEP Daniel Freund’s Twitter page features some of the crudest and most unsophisticated anti-Orbán propaganda of any EU politician
German anti-woke politician Sahra Wagenknecht leaves Left Party, may form her own political party
Polling shows that Wagenknecht, known for being both left-wing and anti-woke, could earn up to 19 percent of the vote if she forms a new political party
The West prepares for China to send weapons to Russia
Western countries met last week to discuss possible sanctions if China provdes weapons to Russia
Austria’s FPÖ calls for national referendum on sanctions on Russia and weapon transfers to Ukraine
If FPÖ comes to power, a national referendum on Russian sanctions could be on the table
Over 90% of western firms have remained in Russia
Despite the war in Ukraine, only 8.5 percent of companies from the EU and the G7 countries have left Russia
Polish state-owned energy giant PKN Orlen ready to stop importing oil from Russia
PKN Orlen stated that it will not renew any long-term contract for importing oil from Russia
Poland seizes Russia’s Gazprom assets
The Polish government has taken over the assets of the Polish branch of Russia’s oil and gas giant Gazprom
90% of seized Russian assets frozen by just 7 EU member states
EU commissioner for justice says all member states should do their part in enforcing sanctions against Russia
AfD achieves electoral success in Lower Saxony, FDP falls out of parliament
“We acted as a united federal and state party,” said the Alternative for Germany leader Tino Chrupalla
Orbán calls for sanctions on Russia to be lifted by the end of the year
PM Orbán predicts that lifting sanctions will lead to a significant drop in inflation and a halving of energy prices
‘An unbelievable price shock’ – Germany’s producer prices jump 45.8%, the highest increase since 1949
“None of this bodes well for inflation, it’s here to stay”
Does Europe need coal to survive?
Europe will need to use coal longer than previously thought, argues a report from the influential Warsaw School of Economics
Hungary refuses to even discuss further energy sanctions against Russia
“Hungarians should not pay the price of war,” according to Hungary’s foreign minister
EU’s sanctions on Poland more severe than those imposed on Russia
It is a paradox that Poland, the country doing the most to help Ukraine, is the subject of harsher EU sanctions than the aggressor Russia, writes political commentator and former conservative politician Jan Rokita
Sanctions cannot defeat Russia, chief economist claims
Russia is better prepared and far less isolated than the West thought, claims Gertrud Traud, German Landesbank’s chief economist
EU approves seventh sanctions package against Russia
The latest measures do not introduce any new sanctions on energy supplies
‘Europe is losing the battle for hearts and minds over the war in Ukraine,’ warns senior Polish MEP
As the Ukrainian war rumbles on and its effects are felt across the globe, support for Russian sanctions will dwindle and calls for a brokered peace will only get louder, says MEP Zdzisław Krasnodębski
Czech PM: Gas won’t be part of next round of EU sanctions against Russia
“I think it should not be included, as many countries are still dependent on Russian gas,” said PM Petr Fiala
Russian invasion also affects the security situation in Asia and Indo-Pacific, warns Czech foreign minister
“We want to have a fresh picture of possible joint steps and understand the challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific,” says Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavský
Poland wants complete EU gas ban on Russia, says Polish minister after talks with Austria
Poland stresses to Austria the need for more sanctions on Russia during a rare visit from Austria’s foreign minister
Despite ban, Russia will still earn billions from its oil, warns former Polish foreign minister
Russia is likely to continue earning hundreds of billions of euros from the sale of its oil despite the European Council agreement to ban Russian oil imports, said a leading Polish politician
Hungary won’t yield to pressure over sanctions against Russia
The sixth sanctions package against Russia goes against the Versailles EU agreement, Balázs Orbán claims
PM Orbán urges EU to postpone decision on energy sanctions against Russia
A top-level discussion of the sanctions package would be ‘counter-productive,’ according to Hungary’s prime minister
‘Dialogue of the deaf’ – Hungary’s justice minister slams EU’s attempt to punish her country with Article 7 mechanism
The Hungarian government’s massive victory in the April elections underlines where the Hungarian people stand in relation to rule-of-law sanctions pursued by an aggressive EU left, said Judit Varga at a meeting of ministers in Brussels

US pushes EU to bypass nations blocking ban on Russian oil
Tariffs are intended to help reinforce a Russian energy embargo, but they will also increase the reliance of smaller European nations on U.S. energy supplies
Poland and Hungary find common ground on Ukraine and sanctions as presidents meet
Hungarian President Katalin Novák was in Warsaw for a meeting with President Duda during which sanctions on Russia were the main point on the agenda
Fake bomb threats paralyze Serbian capital as schools and public places evacuated
The Serbian prime minister said the bomb threats were designed to pressure his country into joining sanctions against Russia
Can Poland persuade Orbán to back Russian energy sanctions?
The sixth package of EU sanctions appears to have hit a dead-end due to Viktor Orbán, but Poland may be able to persuade him to drop his stance, writes Michał Szułdrzyński for Rzeczpospolita daily
The EU doesn’t need Russia, it can self-destruct all on its own
The EU’s latest round of sanctions is self-destructive, Magyar Hírlap columnist Mariann Őry writes
Hungary will not approve sixth sanctions package against Russia, asserts FM Szijjártó
Without Russian energy, Hungary’s economy would likely collapse

Czechia fears a Russian oil embargo
Czechia puts the brakes on the EU’s latest sanction package to protect its own economy
Czechia can support EU boycott of Russian oil by year’s end, says industry minister
Brussels is planning an embargo on Russian oil imports, but not all member states are in agreement
The EU’s useless ban on Russian caviar
Russia has long since ceased to be the world’s premier caviar source
Poland raises interest rate by historic 1-percentage point as inflation bites
Economist Marcin Roszkowski, from the Jagiellonian Institute, argues that the 1-percentage point rise in interest rates is still probably insufficient to slow down the rate of inflation

Ukraine launches war of words with Hungarian government, may have tried to interfere in election
The Ukrainian government’s hostile attitude towards Hungary risks eroding solidarity with refugees fleeing the war zone
‘We were accused of xenophobia, but Poles opened their hearts to 2.5 million Ukrainians,’ Morawiecki tells CNN
The Polish prime minister emphasized the massive effort Poland and Poles have undertaken to help Ukrainians fight for their freedom and defend European values
Germany is the main country blocking sanctions on Russia, not Hungary, says Polish justice minister
Polish Minister Zbigniew Ziobro questioned criticisms directed at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán concerning Hungary’s response to the war in Ukraine
Polish PM calls for total freeze of all Russian state assets to help rebuild Ukraine
Russia’s assets and those of Russian oligarchs should serve to rebuild Ukraine, PM Mateusz Morawieki stated during the Lublin Triangle summit in Warsaw

EU parliament votes to sanction Hungary and Poland in midst of Ukraine war — despite both countries welcoming 1.6 million refugees in a fortnight
The European Parliament voted 478 to 155 in favor of imposing sanctions on the two countries that have taken in the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian refugees
Fearful Czechs buying massive amounts of foreign currencies, mostly US dollars and euros
As the global economy enters a new crisis phase, citizens in countries with weaker currencies are flocking to the safety of the dollar, euro and Swiss franc
EU approves financial support and weapons shipments to Ukraine in unprecedented move
This is the first time in history the bloc has offered arms to a country engaged in conflict
Czech PM calls for ‘toughest sanctions’ against Russia, assures citizens of Czechia’s security
Putin’s actions must not go unanswered, says Petr Fiala
Putin should be first on the sanctions list, says European Commission vice-president
The EU commissioner claimed the absence of Vladimir Putin from the EU’s list of individuals to be personally targeted for sanctions was a sign of weakness
The West is responsible for escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine, says Russian ambassador to Prague
According to the Russian ambassador, the Czech side came “with a set of well-known accusations of the West against Russia”
UK hits three Russian oligarchs and five banks with targeted sanctions
Russian billionaires with close ties to Vladimir Putin have had their assets frozen in the UK
EU extends sanctions on Russia, threatens ‘massive consequences’ in the case of an attack on Ukraine
During the Thursday summit in Brussels, EU leaders made the decision to extend economic sanctions against Russia for the next six months
EU imposes sanctions on Russian private military contractor Wagner
The group is allegedly led by a decorated Russian special operations officer
US, EU, UK, and Canada announce new sanctions on Belarus
The three nations and the EU want Lukashenko to completely halt orchestrating migration across the EU’s borders
Borrell: EU is getting the flow of migrants to Belarus under control
The EU will continue to work with countries from which the migrants come and through which they travel
US House of Representatives wants new sanctions against Nord Stream 2
The lower chamber of American Congress has passed new sanctions against all subjects engaged with the Nord Stream 2 project
It is time for further sanctions against the Lukashenko regime, says Foreign Minister Kulhánek
Czechia continues to support Belarusian civil society and will accept 80 persecuted Belarusian students
U.S.-Russia sanctions war hits Central European economies hard
The economic war between Russia and the United States triggered by the unilateral annexation of the Crimean Peninsula has had a serious impact on Central Europe, news and opinion portal Mandiner writes
Frontex to help Lithuania struggling with an influx of migrants
“The Lithuanian border is our common external border and Frontex is ready to help where needed,” said Frontex CEO Fabrice Leggeri
Lukashenko threatens to flood Central Europe with wave of illegal migrants
Western sanctions compared to German invasion of USSR
Polish PM: Belarusian airspace is creating dangers long unseen in Europe
Poland’s government is satisfied with the conclusions of the EU summit which entailed new sanctions against the Belarusian regime, says a government spokesman
Biden administration drops sanctions against Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, delivering major victory to Putin
President Joe Biden is to waive the application of sanctions against the main Russian-German company responsible for Nord Stream 2’s construction
US sanctions and German regulator hit Nord Stream 2 hard
Is this the end of the controversial Russian-German pipe?
Reprisal and irrelevance
“One of the key issues for Europe is to find an effective way of defending itself from the economic fallout of Trump’s sanctions affecting third parties,” claims Peter Javůrek.