The EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, is planning to invite the bloc's foreign ministers to a "formal" council at the same time as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosts a foreign affairs summit, Politico reported on July 15, citing three EU diplomats.
Hungary, which currently helms the Council of the European Union's rotating presidency, plans to host a foreign affairs summit in Budapest on Aug. 28-29.
"If there's a formal foreign affairs council, organized by the high representative (Borrell) the same day, the ministers won't be able to go to Budapest," one diplomat told Politico.
Martin Fornusek
The snub is a response to Orban's supposed "Ukraine peace missions" that included trips to Kyiv, Beijing, and, to the outrage of leaders across the EU, a visit to Moscow and a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Orban also met with Donald Trump, a presumptive Republican nominee for the upcoming U.S. presidential election who recently narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
Brussels stressed that the Hungarian prime minister did not represent the bloc in any way, and Hungary's envoy in Brussels was lambasted over his country's "rogue diplomacy."
According to one of Politico's sources, the boycott of Hungary's summit means to "send a clear signal that Hungary does not speak for the EU."
Hungary is widely seen as the most Kremlin-friendly country within the EU, and its past conduct has sparked ire among its European partners on multiple occasions. Budapest has repeatedly obstructed sanctions against Russia, Ukraine's accession talks, and aid for Ukraine.
Even before the outbreak of the full-scale invasion, relations between Brussels and Budapest had been strained as the EU accused Orban of democratic backsliding and deteriorating rule of law.
