The Wall Street Journal

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- European Union efforts to impose an embargo on Russian oil faced more roadblocks Wednesday as Hungarian officials said they would not back the plan in its current form and recommended removing the topic from the agenda of an EU leaders' summit next week. The EU has worked to forge a consensus among its 27 member nations for cutting off Russian oil by the end of 2022 to block a key source of revenue financing Russia’s war in Ukraine . While some countries in central and Eastern Europe initially expressed reservations over the embargo, Hungary remains the most vocal member nation blocking the measure, which is part of a sixth proposed round of EU sanctions against Russia. During a news conference in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Wednesday that Hungary would not vote in favor of the oil embargo proposal "as long as it makes Hungary’s energy supply impossible.” He blamed the EU's executive branch for pushing the pl...

ANKARA, Turkey -- Delegations from Sweden and Finland were scheduled on Wednesday to hold talks in Ankara with senior Turkish officials in an effort to overcome Turkey’s objections to their historic bids to join the NATO alliance. Sweden and Finland submitted their written applications to join NATO last week in a move that marks one of the biggest geopolitical ramifications of Russia’s war in Ukraine — and which could rewrite Europe’s security map. Turkey has said it opposes the two Nordic countries’ membership in the military alliance, citing grievances with Sweden's — and a to a lesser extent Finland’s — perceived support to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and other entities that Turkey views as a security threat. It also accuses the two of imposing arms exports restrictions on Turkey and refusing to extradite suspected “terrorists.” Turkey’s objections have dampened Stockholm's and Helsinki’s hopes for their quick membership in NATO amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ...

BEIJING -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping defended China 's record to the top U.N. human rights official Wednesday, saying each nation should be allowed to find its own path based on its particular circumstances and criticizing those countries that lecture others on human rights and politicize the issue. “Through long-term and persistent hard work, China has successfully embarked on a path of human rights development that conforms to the trend of the times and suits its own national conditions,” Xi told U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet in a video call, according to an online report from state broadcaster CCTV. Bachelet is in the middle of a six-day visit to China that includes stops in Xinjiang, a remote northwestern region where the Chinese government has been accused of human rights violations and genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups. Her trip has been criticized by the U.S. and others, who think that China will limit whom she can talk to, stage manage her trip a...