Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been strongly rebuked by the European Parliament after he visited Moscow and Beijing as part of a self-styled “peace mission”.
Orban met the leaders of both nations, but failed to clear his trips with Brussels. Widely criticized in the west, his trip was earlier condemned by the European Parliament as “a blatant violation of the EU’s Treaties and its foreign policy.”
Issuing a resolution on the matter, the EU assembly promised that Orbán’s indiscretion would “be met with repercussions for Hungary”.
The resolution, which highlighted the EU’s continuous support for Ukraine, was adopted following a landslide vote that saw 495 EU lawmakers vote in its favor; 137 lawmakers voted against, while 47 abstained.
Tisza, Hungary’s center-right party, did not back the resolution: “We could not support a resolution that punishes Hungary for Viktor Orbán’s misguided policies,” they said in a statement.
Iratxe García Pérez, head of the socialist lawmaker group, was blunt in her assessment: “Orbán met with Putin to denigrate the EU, to proclaim that he has a peace plan that nobody knows about, and to promote Russian expansionism,” she said.
The Hungarian government, however, has staunchly defended Orbán’s decision to meet Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Writing on X, Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, said: “It's unacceptable to stigmatize a country for advocating diplomatic solutions.”
Hungary assumed the EU presidency earlier this month, a role that places Budapest in charge of organizing EU meetings. However, the six-month rotational role does not authorize Orbán to lead diplomatic missions on behalf of the EU.
Issuing a resolution on the matter, the EU assembly promised that Orbán’s indiscretion would “be met with repercussions for Hungary”.
The resolution, which highlighted the EU’s continuous support for Ukraine, was adopted following a landslide vote that saw 495 EU lawmakers vote in its favor; 137 lawmakers voted against, while 47 abstained.
Tisza, Hungary’s center-right party, did not back the resolution: “We could not support a resolution that punishes Hungary for Viktor Orbán’s misguided policies,” they said in a statement.
Iratxe García Pérez, head of the socialist lawmaker group, was blunt in her assessment: “Orbán met with Putin to denigrate the EU, to proclaim that he has a peace plan that nobody knows about, and to promote Russian expansionism,” she said.
The Hungarian government, however, has staunchly defended Orbán’s decision to meet Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Writing on X, Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, said: “It's unacceptable to stigmatize a country for advocating diplomatic solutions.”
Hungary assumed the EU presidency earlier this month, a role that places Budapest in charge of organizing EU meetings. However, the six-month rotational role does not authorize Orbán to lead diplomatic missions on behalf of the EU.
Source: Reuters
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