Orban causes headaches for EU leaders over visits to Russia and China, stances on Ukraine

(Patria) - European Union foreign ministers will consider a response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's trips to Russia and China and his country's positioning regarding the EU's role in Ukraine, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said today.

Hungary took over the six-month rotating presidency of the bloc in July, and Orban immediately went to Moscow and Beijing on what he described as a "peace mission" despite none of his EU partners being aware of it or authorizing him to do so.

Orban had previously left a NATO summit to meet with former US President Donald Trump. Orban's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has since questioned the EU's role in Ukraine.

"We will discuss what happened and the positions taken by the Hungarian government," Borrell said, describing them as "unacceptable." Some member states want the bloc to take a firmer stance towards Budapest.

A boycott or a smaller number of ministers attending an informal meeting in Budapest at the end of August is being mentioned, although there are divisions among countries about the usefulness of such a move. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters upon arriving in Brussels that Borrell represents the EU's foreign policy and that "it is not surprising that ego trips" have irritated many.

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said he would attend the informal meeting and stated that it is important to continue dialogue with Budapest. "To ignore or not choose dialogue would be a mistake," he said.

Orban, a critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, has repeatedly blocked decisions on military aid to Ukraine.