European Union member states agreed to extend sanctions on individual Russians, including a number of billionaires, after Hungary dropped its opposition.

The EU Friday agreed to drop three Russian individuals from its sanctions list as the price for Hungary's Viktor Orban to drop a threat to veto Europe's sanctions against Russia.

The European Union agreed on Friday to renew sanctions on Russian individuals and entities but kept Russian tycoon Mikhail Fridman on the list despite pressure from Hungary, EU diplomats said.

The European Union has reached a deal with Hungary to renew sanctions on more than 2,400 primarily Russian entities and individuals hours before they were set to expire on March 15, an EU official with knowledge of the negotiations told the Kyiv independent.

European Union member states have agreed to extend sanctions on Russians, including a number of billionaires. Hungary and Luxembourg have dropped their demands to remove Mikhail Fridman. Bloomberg reports this.

The EU has removed a number of Russians from its sanctions list after pressure from Hungary and Slovakia, securing a deal to extend broader measures. The move highlights growing divisions within the bloc over its stance on Moscow,

The clock for renewal was ticking fast as sanctions on Russian individuals and companies were set to expire by midnight on Saturday. #EuropeNews

Hungary and Slovakia are resisting the European Union's proposed sanctions against Russia. Hungary has demanded that several powerful businessmen be removed from the EU blacklist, even as Brussels is racing to find a compromise in the face of a deadline that ends on Saturday.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has announced that Tallinn has imposed national sanctions against four Russian citizens who were removed from the EU sanctions list at Hungary's insistence. Source: European Pravda Details: Tsahkna noted that amid discussions in the European Union about extending sanctions,