Several EU countries to boycott ministerial meetings during Hungarian presidency
Sweden and several other European Union countries will not send ministers to government meetings linked to Hungary's EU presidency this month in a protest at Victor Orban's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Swedish government said, Reuters reports.
Orban, Hungary's prime Minister, held talks on a potential Ukraine peace deal with Putin last week, angering some EU leaders who warned against appeasing Moscow and said Orban did not speak for the 27-nation bloc.
"The Hungarian actions during the (EU) presidency are harmful and must have consequences. Sweden will therefore not participate on a political level during the informal government meetings in July," she said.
According to the Swedish minister, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland have also joined the boycott. At ministerial meetings, they will be represented by civil servants rather than ministers.
Rosvall stated that other EU member states are also considering such measures.
Several European officials spoke out against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Russia to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on 5 July.
The European Union’s legal service determined that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during his trip to Russia last week contravene EU treaties.
