The bloc has canceled a high-level summit in Budapest to “send a symbolic signal” to the prime minister
A high-level EU foreign affairs summit scheduled for August will be moved from Hungary to Brussels, the bloc’ top diplomat, Josep Borrell, confirmed on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference in the Belgian capital, Borrell said the bloc must “send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal,” to punish Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his Ukraine “peace mission,” which EU officials have condemned as contrary to the bloc’s policies.
Hungary currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and the bloc’s foreign and defense ministers were due to gather in Budapest late next month. Politico earlier reported that EU officials were planning to boycott the meeting in the Hungarian capital.