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A new veto has landed in Brussels.

Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, confirmed on Thursday that he would continue to vote down the next package of sanctions that the European Union wants to impose on Russia in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

With sanctions subject to unanimity rules, Fico’s decision makes it impossible to approve the proposal, which is considered ready to go after diplomats spent the last day polishing the technical details in anticipation of a formal endorsement.

Interestingly, Fico’s opposition has nothing to do with the sanctions themselves. It relates to an entirely different matter: the so-called REPowerEU roadmap.

The roadmap envisions a phase-out of all imports of Russian fossil fuels, including pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), by the end of 2027. The European Commission unveiled the roadmap in May and presented the draft legislation in June, based on gradual bans on short-term and long-term gas contracts.

“Russia has repeatedly attempted to blackmail us by weaponising its energy supplies,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission president.

“We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good.”

As a landlocked country with entrenched ties to Russian fuels, Slovakia immediately – and vociferously – protested the phase-out, warning it would raise prices and endanger competitiveness. Hungary, which is in a similar situation, joined the resistance.

A hot point of contention has been the Commission’s strategy to frame the proposal as trade and energy policy, meaning it will only need a qualified majority to pass through. Until now, the executive had chosen sanctions, a foreign policy tool, as the go-to option to remove imports of Russian fuels, such as coal and oil. Hungary and Slovakia were exempted from the permanent ban on Russian crude oil.

Hungary and Slovakia both oppose the phase-out from Russia fuels. European Union, 2025.

As sanctions on gas remain elusive due to long-standing disagreements among capitals, the Commission took matters into its own hands and envisioned a creative workaround to ensure the prohibition on Russian gas eventually sees the light of day.

The trick infuriated Slovakia, which resorted to vetoing the 18th package of sanctions as a last-ditch effort to extract the concessions that it would otherwise not get.

The colour of money

Fico confirmed his veto after holding a bilateral meeting with von der Leyen on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. In the days leading up to the summit, officials in the Commission had sounded optimistic that a compromise of sorts would be reached and the 18th package of sanctions would sail away before the end of the month.

But then, the Slovak put his foot down.

In a video message posted on his Facebook account in the middle of the summit, Fico aired an extensive list of grievances and reservations regarding the phase-out, indicating he was open to a deal with von der Leyen but at a higher-than-expected price.

“It’s unfortunate that we are heading down this road, as this is clearly an ideological proposal,” he said. “This will harm us, unless an agreement is reached with the European Commission that would compensate us for all the damage this proposal might cause.”

The leader name-checked five issues that he wants to address and, ideally, resolve:

Transit fees : Fico says that if Slovakia ends imports of Russian pipeline gas, it will have to spend more money on transit fees to bring alternative supplies from Western, Northern and Southern countries, which buy LNG and later gasify it. Fico wants guarantees that future transit fees will have the same cost as with Russia.

: Fico says that if Slovakia ends imports of Russian pipeline gas, it will have to spend more money on transit fees to bring alternative supplies from Western, Northern and Southern countries, which buy LNG and later gasify it. Fico wants guarantees that future transit fees will have the same cost as with Russia. Consumer prices : Fico says the end of low-cost Russian gas, coupled with potentially higher transit fees, will increase gas prices for households “by 30 to 50 percent”, according to the estimates of his government.

: Fico says the end of low-cost Russian gas, coupled with potentially higher transit fees, will increase gas prices for households “by 30 to 50 percent”, according to the estimates of his government. Compensation : As a result, Fico demands “funds to compensate Slovak households and industry, as neither will be able to cope with this burden”.

: As a result, Fico demands “funds to compensate Slovak households and industry, as neither will be able to cope with this burden”. Energy crisis : Fico also wants guarantees to protect Slovakia against an extraordinary spike in wholesale gas prices, as happened in the 2022 energy crisis.

: Fico also wants guarantees to protect Slovakia against an extraordinary spike in wholesale gas prices, as happened in the 2022 energy crisis. Lawsuits: Finally, Fico warns Slovakia risks facing a lawsuit from Gazprom, Russia’s gas monopoly, worth between €16 and €20 billion due to the termination of its long-term contract, which runs until 2034. Russian energy contracts are generally governed by well-defined “take-or-pay” terms, which means buyers are compelled to either take the agreed-upon deliveries or pay financial damages for their refusal.

“Therefore, this issue must be resolved first,” Fico said at the end of the video.

“Let’s define the solution, and only then can we discuss further sanctions packages. If our proposal to postpone the vote is not accommodated, the Slovak ambassador will receive a clear instruction to veto the adoption of the 18th sanctions package.”

Fico noted he would engage in “constructive negotiations”, with a “special mission” led by the Commission scheduled to travel to Slovakia next week.

Ursula von der Leyen has engaged in bilateral talks with Fico to solve the issue. European Union, 2025.

It is far from clear how von der Leyen’s team would manage to accommodate his needs, which appear to be worth billions in euros. The bloc’s multi-annual budget is strained and has limited space to cope with unforeseen circumstances or, in this case, demands. The proposed phase-out does not feature a dedicated envelope of EU funds.

Von der Leyen did not address the thorny subject in her press conference at the end of the summit, and the Commission did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Officials had previously insisted the phase-out would not produce a steep rise in consumer prices because the bloc’s transition away from Russian fuels is already well underway, with greater diversification from Norway, the US, Algeria, Qatar, Azerbaijan and the UK, as well as faster deployment of homegrown green energy.

“We can, indeed, make sure that this transition will happen in a way that it does not lead to an increase in prices and certainly not to a situation of supply issues for these countries,” Dan Jørgensen, the European Commissioner for Energy, said in June.

Jørgensen also stressed that the bans foreseen under the phase-out would be solid enough to declare force majeure – that is, events or circumstances that go beyond the control of the signatories – and protect clients against eye-popping damages.

“We’ve deliberately formulated this legislation and used the legal basis which makes it a prohibition and thereby a force majeure situation for the companies in question,” he said.

“That means they are not legally liable. It’s not them that’s breaking up a contract.”

The reasoning has not entirely convinced experts, who argue traditional foreign-policy sanctions are the most bulletproof method to defy lawsuits in court.

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Iran’s top diplomat said on Friday that the possibility of new negotiations with the United States on his country’s nuclear programme has been “complicated” by US strikes on three of the sites, which he conceded had caused “serious damage.”

The US was one of the parties to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which saw Iran agree to limit its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for sanctions relief and other benefits.

That deal unravelled in 2018 after President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the US out during his first term, calling it the “worst deal ever negotiated.”

Trump had suggested he is interested in new talks with Iran and said the two sides would meet next week.

In an interview on Iranian state television broadcast late on Thursday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left open the possibility that his country would again enter talks on its nuclear program, but suggested it would not be anytime soon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, 23 June, 2025 AP Photo

“No agreement has been made for resuming the negotiations,” he said. “No time has been set, no promise has been made and we haven’t even talked about restarting the talks.”

The American decision to intervene militarily “made it more complicated and more difficult” for talks on Iran’s nuclear programme, Araghchi said.

In Friday prayers, many imams stressed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s message from the day before that the war had been a victory for Iran.

Cleric Hamzeh Khalili, who also is the deputy chief justice of Iran, vowed during a prayer service in Tehran that the courts would prosecute people accused of spying for Israel “in a special way.”

During the 12-day conflict with Israel, Iran hanged several people who it already had in custody on espionage charges, sparking fears from activists that it could conduct a wave of executions after the fighting ended.

Authorities have reportedly detained dozens in various cities on the charge of cooperation with Israel.

Israel attacked Iran on 13 June, targeting its nuclear sites, defence systems, high-ranking military officials and atomic scientists in waved of strikes.

In almost two weeks of fighting, Israel said it killed some 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites.

More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, 22 June, 2025 AP Photo

Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people.

Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said Friday that in some areas it had exceeded its operational goals, but needed to remain vigilant.

“We are under no illusion, the enemy has not changed its intentions,” he said.

Operation Midnight Hammer

The US stepped in on Sunday to hit Iran’s three most important nuclear sites with a wave of cruise missiles and bunker-buster bombs dropped by B-2 bombers, designed to penetrate deep into the ground to damage the heavily-fortified targets.

Iran, in retaliation, fired missiles at the US military base, Al Udeida, in Qatar on Monday but caused no known casualties.

Trump said the American attacks “completely and fully obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme, though Khamenei on Thursday accused the US president of exaggerating the damage, saying the strikes did not “achieve anything significant.”

There has been speculation that Iran moved much of its highly-enriched uranium before the strikes, something that it told the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that it planned to do.

Even if that turns out to be true, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi told Radio France International that the damage done to the Fordow site, which is built into a mountain, “is very, very, very considerable.”

Among other things, he said, centrifuges are “quite precise machines” and it’s “not possible” that the concussion from multiple 30,000-pound bombs would not have caused “important physical damage.”

“These centrifuges are no longer operational,” he said.

Araghchi himself acknowledged “the level of damage is high and it’s serious damage.”

He added that Iran had not yet decided whether to allow IAEA inspectors to assess the damage, but they would be kept out “for the time being”.

STORY: :: Hungary’s PM warns of ‘legal consequences’ for organizing or attending Pride march banned by police

:: Budapest, Hungary

:: June 27, 2025

:: Viktor Orban, Hungarian prime minister

“We are adults. I advise everyone to decide what they want. Abide by the law – that is what I do, and that is what I would advise them as well. If you do not comply, then you must reckon with the written, clear legal consequences; the law is plain speaking, as József Attila may have said. And then you must understand that this is what will happen.”

He said police could disperse a banned event but Hungary was a “civilized country” and the task for police was to convince people to follow the law.

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Hungary’s parliament, in which Orban’s right-wing Fidesz Party has a big majority, passed legislation in March that created a legal basis for police to ban LGBTQ marches, on the grounds that protecting children would supersede the right to assemble. It also lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend and impose fines.

Critics see the move to ban Pride as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a general election next year when Orban will face a strong opposition challenger, seen by some recent opinion polls as pulling ahead.

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Following the news that the government-banned Budapest Pride march is still to take place, several European countries have issued travel warnings for their citizens planning to attend the event in the Hungarian capital on Saturday.

The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán earlier prohibited the event, citing child protection as the reason.

However, the organisers have not backed down and now expect tens of thousands of people from across the continent to attend the event in the Hungarian capital.

Many European countries have warned their citizens that they may face fines and additional risks if they attend the Budapest Pride event.

The UK government website noted that the event remains illegal under Hungarian law, stating that participants could be identified using facial recognition technology and fined.

“With policing arrangements for an illegal Pride march unclear and counter demonstrations planned, there is a heightened risk to participants’ safety,” the statement says.

Hungarian authorities said earlier that anyone participating could face a fine of up to €500.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry also warned travellers of the possibility of being fined. Belgium also issued a warning, highlighting that the demonstration was prohibited and anyone joining could face fines.

“It remains unclear under what circumstances the Pride March will take place,” the statement said, adding that participation in a demonstration is the responsibility of each individual.

“We advise any participants to exercise the necessary vigilance and to keep up to date with the current situation through the media and social media of the embassy in Budapest.

‘Everyone should decide what they want’

The Belgian government has issued a further warning to its citizens about potential counter-demonstrations.

The far-right Our Homeland party has called for its supporters to occupy bridges in central Budapest to prevent the Pride event from taking place. Furthermore, the party has already been issued a police permit to gather and use the same route that the Pride is supposed to march along.

The announced far-right gathering has raised concerns over possible violence, according to authorities.

“In particular, in the interest of their safety, any participants are advised to keep their distance from possible counter-demonstrations and, in the event of disturbances, to follow the guidelines of the local police,” the statement of the Belgian foreign ministry said.

France also issued a statement informing people that Hungary had banned the march, and participants would be monitored by smart cameras and face fines of €500.

Orbán hinted that police would not disperse the crowd, but participants would face legal consequences.

“We are adults, and I think everyone should decide what they want, keep to the rules, or if they don’t, they should face the legal consequences,” Orbán said.

At least 70 MEPs from various political groups, along with European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lhabib, will participate in the Pride event.

On Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Orbán to lift the ban on the Pride march.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has warned on Friday that anyone involved in this weekend’s banned Pride of Budapest march will face “legal consequences”.

Claiming the move was needed to protect children, Orbán’s conservative government passed legislation earlier this year that allows police to prohibit public LGBTQ+ events.

Despite the ban, Budapest’s liberal Mayor Gergely Karácsony has vowed to go ahead with the Pride march in the Hungarian capital on Saturday.

Speaking to Euronews, Karácsony claimed the event was “perfectly legal”.

“The Hungarian Parliament has passed an amendment to the Assembly Act, which means that Pride, which is covered by the Assembly Act, was not authorised by the police,” Karácsony explained.

“However, we’re instead organising a municipal event, which is not covered by this law. The municipality is inviting the people of Budapest to another event in its own public spaces, organised by itself, so it is perfectly legal.”

MPs of Momentum protest with flares during the plenary session of the Hungarian parliament in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Boglarka Bodnar/MTI – Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund

Minister of Justice Bence Tuzson quickly claimed that the march does fall under the Assembly Act and is therefore prohibited.

Tuzson said that Karácsony could face one year in prison and a fine for organising the event.

Hard-to-dodge fines

Those involved in Saturday’s march could also be forced to pay fines.

As well as approving the use of AI-powered facial recognition to identify people at banned events, Orbán’s party, Fidesz, has streamlined the process of issuing them with financial penalties.

Kristóf András Kádár, the co-president of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights organisation, told Euronews that the Budapest mayor has a strong legal case, but that participants may still be fined.

“I think that ultimately the reduction or cancellation of the fine can be achieved through different legal procedures,” Kádár said, “But at least temporarily they need to be paid.”

Participants march during the 29th Budapest Pride parade in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 22, 2024. Robert Hegedus/MTI – Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund

Fines are not the only concern. There is also a growing fear that violence from other groups could pose a serious threat to Pride participants.

Hungarian police have authorised the counter-demonstration of the far-right Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk), which is set to partially overlap with the planned route of Budapest Pride.

Separately, the police released a statement saying that it considers the Budapest Pride event to be a “prohibited gathering”. The statement goes on to state that organisers will be “liable” for any damage that may occur, while adding that “several assemblies” are set to take place in the same location at the same time.

Orbán has urged people this week not to take part in the Budapest Pride march.

“If someone does something like this, then there is a clear legal procedure, which must be followed”, Orbán said.

“But we are a civilised country, we don’t hurt each other, we’ve never had a civil war here, maybe a little bit in ’56, but we don’t hurt each other even if we don’t agree. It’s not part of Hungarian political culture,” he added.