Reuters

The newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, July 23, 2024, p. 27

Brussels. European Union foreign ministers chief Josep Borrell stripped Hungary of its role as host of a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, in a sign of widespread anger in the bloc over Budapest’s rapprochement with Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Borrell said that the meeting scheduled for the end of August in Budapest will now be held in Brussels, after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Moscow and Beijing without the support of the European Union (EU) and his government criticized the community policy pro-war.

We have to send a signal, even if it is symbolic.Borrell told reporters in Brussels after the last meeting of EU foreign ministers before the summer break.

Orbán began his self-proclaimed peace mission – which also included a visit to US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump – just days after Hungary assumed the rotating EU presidency on 1 July.

At yesterday’s meeting, several EU foreign ministers directly condemned Budapest’s stance to their Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, officials said.

This was made very clear and reiterated in a way that left no room for doubt.said Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel.

Many EU countries view Budapest as being too close to Moscow, undermining EU efforts to politically and diplomatically isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Hungary says it is trying to bring peace to Ukraine as soon as possible. Borrell said Budapest should call Russian President Vladimir Putin a pro-warnot to the EU. If you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putinhe pointed.