Hungary is part of Putin's team, Estonia's foreign minister says
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna believes that the European Union is nearing the point of depriving Hungary of its voting rights in the EU Council due to its obstruction of decisions related to Russia.
Source: Tsahkna in an interview with German newspaper Rheinische Post, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Tsahkna noted the growing recognition across Europe of Russia as a threat and the urgent need to "arm ourselves now", rejecting claims of a supposed division on the continent.
"Let's be honest: to be divided, you need two big parties. With Hungary, we have a very weak country that is part of Putin's team, not part of our European team," he emphasised.
The Estonian foreign minister also pointed out that Hungary currently has the ability to block unanimous decisions, including those on European foreign and security policy.
"However, Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union allows a member state to be deprived of its voting rights if its membership endangers the security of Europe and other members. This is exactly what [Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán is doing," Tsahkna explained.
In his opinion, the possibility of invoking Article 7 "is getting closer and closer".
For reference: Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union allows for the suspension of certain rights of a member state if it is found to be in serious and persistent breach of the EU's fundamental values.
Background: On 14 March, the Financial Times reported that Hungary's refusal to extend a series of EU sanctions against Russia has sparked increased discussions among member states regarding the potential need to strip Hungary of its voting rights in key EU decisions.
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