Budapest has been quietly pushing for the lifting of asset freezes and travel bans against nine high profile individuals, including two well-known Jewish oligarchs, ahead of the expected renewal of the European Union’s Russia sanctions this March. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Hungarian government is demanding sanctions relief for both Alfa-Bank co-founder Mikhail Fridman and Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, a major shareholder in Russian fertilizer firm Acron. Fridman co-founded the Russian Jewish Congress and the Genesis Philanthropy Group while Kantor served as the longtime President of the European Jewish Congress until last April. In November, the European Commission approved a post-pandemic recovery plan for Hungary worth 5.8 billion euros but said that Budapest would not receive any payments until it implements reforms to bolster judicial independence and tackle corruption. After being sanctioned he resigned as head of the European Jewish Congress and moved to Israel but, despite his resignation, Kantor initially failed to fully sever himself from the European Jewish Fund, a Luxembourg-based charity which disburses more than $2 million a year to support Jewish groups, including the EJC.
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