Hungary wants to remove eight individuals from the European Union's Russia sanctions list and receive fresh guarantees on Ukraine gas transit talks before agreeing to renew the restrictions, EU diplomats said.

Hungary seeks to remove eight individuals from the EU's Russia sanctions list and demands new guarantees on Ukraine gas transit discussions before consenting to sanctions renewal. Despite the EU's need for unanimous agreement to extend sanctions,

Hungary's top diplomat vowed on Thursday to delay extending EU sanctions against Russian individuals -- including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov -- to avoid making Russian-US negotiations "difficult".