Hungary excluded from EU summit because of its stance on Ukraine

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell has withdrawn Hungary’s right to host the next meeting of foreign and defence ministers because of its stance on the war in Ukraine.

This came a few weeks after Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, a role in which it would normally host the event, and amid anger over a meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.

Mr Borrell said Hungary’s actions must have consequences and “we must send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal”.

Hungary described the move as “completely childish.”

Every six months, the EU’s foreign and defence ministers meet informally under the respective Council presidency to discuss the bloc’s biggest global problems.

The next meetings were scheduled to take place from 28 to 30 August and were to be held in Budapest, but on Monday Mr Borrell announced that they would take place in Brussels instead.

Referring to comments made by Orban after his meeting with Putin in which he accused the EU of pursuing a “pro-war policy”, Borrell told reporters: “If you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putin.”

“I can say that all member states – with one exception – are very critical of this behaviour.

“I think it was … appropriate to show this feeling and to convene the next meetings of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Council in Brussels.”

Of the other 26 EU countries, only Slovakia supported Hungary in this dispute.

However, Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel told reporters he would travel to Budapest because a boycott would be “nonsense”. Mr Bettel believed it would be better to tell the Hungarians that the EU was unhappy with their actions because “it would be a mistake to ignore or not opt ​​for dialogue”.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski had proposed holding the meeting in western Ukraine in August, but Budapest blocked this proposal.

Reacting to Mr Borrell’s decision, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook: “What a fantastic response they have come up with.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but it feels like kindergarten.”

The meeting between Orban and Putin was part of a “peace mission” that he launched a few days after Hungary took over the EU Council Presidency. As part of this mission, Orban also visited the heads of state of Ukraine and China, as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the USA.

The trip sparked fierce criticism from heads of state and government across the EU. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described it as “nothing more than an appeasement mission.”