**Hungary Blocks Potential EU Sanctions on Georgia**
Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, has promised to veto a proposal to impose European Union (EU) sanctions on Georgian officials. The sanctions were meant to punish the Georgian government for its crackdown on anti-government protests.
Szijjarto spoke alongside his Georgian counterpart, Maka Bochorishvili, and criticized the EU for not being consistent in its criticism of democracy. He said that if the opposition had won the elections in Georgia, the EU would have been praising the country’s democratic progress.
**Tensions Rise Between EU and Georgia**
The EU Foreign Affairs Council is set to discuss the situation on December 16. Tbilisi’s ties with multiple European countries have deteriorated since the pro-Russian Georgian Dream adopted a controversial “foreign agents” law in May.
Protests against the ruling party broke out two weeks ago, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process until at least 2028. Over 220 people have been arrested during the crackdown, with dozens reported injured as the Georgian police deployed tear gas and water cannons.
**Other Developments**
* A Russian drone struck a service vehicle on its way to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
* The number of Russian barges in the Kerch Strait has halved in a month, as part of efforts to protect the Crimean Bridge against Ukrainian maritime drones.
* The U.S. Treasury Department announced $20 billion in loan assistance to Ukraine.
* Successful tests of a new Ukrainian missile are underway.
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