The bloc has canceled a high-level summit in Budapest to “send a symbolic signal” to the prime minister
The European Union (EU) has decided to move a high-level foreign affairs summit scheduled for August from Budapest to Brussels. The decision was confirmed by the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, on Monday.
Borrell stated at a press conference in Brussels that the EU needs to “send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal,” as a way to reprimand Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his Ukraine “peace mission.” EU officials have condemned this mission, labeling it as contradictory to the bloc’s policies.
Hungary currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and the bloc’s foreign and defense ministers were scheduled to convene in Budapest towards the end of next month. Earlier, Politico had reported that EU officials were planning to boycott the meeting in the Hungarian capital.
This snub comes after various Western officials voiced their condemnation of Orban for his visit to Russia to engage in talks with President Vladimir Putin regarding the Ukraine conflict. Following the conclusion of his tour, which also included visits to Ukraine, China, and the US, Orban accused the EU of pursuing a “pro-war policy.”
On Monday, Borrell asserted that the bloc’s members strongly rejected Orban’s claim, “with only a single exception,” referring to Hungary’s neighboring country, Slovakia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed support for his Hungarian counterpart regarding his m
Borrell further accused Orban of “disqualifying” the bloc’s policy, adding that his actions must have “formal consequences.” Consequently, it was decided “to call for the next [informal] Foreign and Defense Council meeting in Brussels,” Borrell added.
Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen canceled a planned visit of EU commissioners to Hungary in protest of Orban’s actions. She also reduced the level of the commission’s representation at informal meetings during Hungary’s six-month EU presidency.
Von der Leyen later criticized Orban’s visit to Moscow as an “appeasement mission,” while the European Parliament characterized it as “a blatant violation of the EU’s treaties and common foreign policy.”
Moscow stated last week that the EU’s criticism of Orban demonstrates that Brussels has committed to providing military support to Ukraine, and that its “pro-war” policies will not change.