European commissioners will boycott informal meetings held by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and instead will send lower-level bureaucrats for the duration of Budapest's six-month rotating presidency of the European Union, the European Commission announced after Orban's unsanctioned meetings with Russian and Chinese leaders Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
"In light of recent developments marking the start of the Hungarian Presidency, the [European Commission] President [Ursula von der Leyen] has decided that the Commission will be represented at senior civil servant level only during informal meetings of the Council," Eric Mamer, von der Leyen's chief spokesman, announced on X.
Furthermore, "the College visit to the [Hungarian] Presidency will not take place." Mamer added. The College is the European Commission's leadership and consists of the 27 commissioners.
Hungary protested the announcement, with Minister for European Affairs Janos Boka, accusing the commission of "cherry-picking" institutions and members states that it wants to work with.
"The EU Commission cannot cherry pick institutions and member states it wants to cooperate with. Are all Commission decisions now based on political considerations?" Boka wrote on X.
The commission's move comes after an unconfirmed report in Politico that EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell plans to convene the bloc's foreign ministers for his own "formal" council meeting at the same time that Hungary has scheduled a similar gathering in August.
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Orban, whose country took over the EU presidency on July 1, flew to Moscow on July 5 and then to China, without informing the bloc ahead of time, purportedly to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine with Putin and Xi.
Orban, who has maintained friendly relations with Putin, has been at odds with the rest of the EU, voicing his opposition to sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
Following his talks with Putin at the Kremlin, Orban told a news conference that his trip represented a "first step to restore dialogue" between the warring parties.
On July 16, Orban sent a letter to EU leaders, a copy of which was seen by RFE/RL, saying that while the United States is "at the moment heavily preoccupied with the presidential campaign," former U.S. President Donald Trump is ready to act "immediately" as a peace broker if he beats incumbent Joe Biden in the November 5 vote.
"I can...surely state that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait until his inauguration, (Trump) will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. He has detailed and well-founded plans for this," Orban, a longtime Trump supporter, wrote.
Orban added that Biden was "making immense efforts" to remain in the race and suggested he was "not capable of modifying the current U.S. pro-war policy." Meanwhile, a Trump victory would shift the financial burden between Washington and Brussels when it comes to supporting Ukraine, with Europe coming out on the worse end of the deal.
"Our European strategy in the name of transatlantic unity has copied the pro-war policy of the U.S. We have not had a sovereign and independent European strategy or political action plan up to now. I propose discussing whether the continuation of this policy is rational in the future. In the current situation we can find a window of opportunity with a strong moral and rational basis to begin a new chapter in our policy," Orban said.
Orban ended the letter by proposing discussions to initiate talks with China on the next Ukraine peace conference, reopening "direct lines of diplomatic communication with Russia," and the launch of a "coordinated political offensive towards the Global South whose appreciation we have lost concerning our position on the war in Ukraine resulting in the global isolation of the transatlantic community."
Orban's self-styled peace mission has been harshly criticized by both the EU and the United States.
In a reply to Orban's letter seen by RFE/RL, European Council President Charles Michel said the rotating presidency "has no role in representing the Union on the international stage and received no European Council mandate to engage on behalf of the Union" in Moscow and Beijing.
Michel also rejected Orban's claim that the council has a “pro-war policy,” insisting that it is "quite the opposite" and reiterating that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is exercising its legitimate right to self-defense. He added that there can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine taking part.
The White House joined in on the criticism, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying the visit "will not advance the cause of peace and is counterproductive to promoting Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.”