(USNewsBreak.com) – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had many far-reaching effects. While most of the West is supporting Ukraine, Russia isn’t without its allies. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has refused to distance himself from the aggressor and its leader, President Vladimir Putin. That stance has cost his country the chance to host the next European Union (EU) meeting.
On Monday, July 22, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell announced that the next meeting, scheduled for August, would not take place in Hungary. Instead, the EU moved the venue to Brussels. Speaking with reporters, Borrell said, “We have to send a signal, even if it’s a symbolic signal,” that opposing the EU’s foreign policy “has […] some consequences.” His message came after Orbán met with Putin earlier this month, a move the prime minister justified as a preliminary to foster peace talks. He also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three days prior.
Borrell didn’t make the decision unilaterally. Nearly every EU foreign minister spoke out against Hungary’s position on the state of affairs between Russia and Ukraine and its stance on the war. Orbán took on his “peace mission” alone, without the EU’s backing. The bloc clarified that he didn’t represent them as a whole.
However, Borrell also stated the move wasn’t a boycott of Hungary. He said the country retained a seat at the table and would be present at its next meeting. Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke out about the decision to move the meeting location, calling it “childish” and “a kindergarten-level debate.”
This incident was just the latest in clashes between the bloc and Hungary. Hungary has favored negotiations and peace talks rather than having the West, including the EU, consistently back Ukraine in staving off its aggressors. Budapest’s stated stance evaluated Russia as far superior, and Ukraine is fighting a losing war, supported only by billions of dollars in aid.
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