Hungarian PM Viktor Orban sparked anger last week by accusing the EU of pursuing a "pro-war policy".
The European Union has stripped Hungary of the right to host the next meeting of foreign and defence ministers over its stance on the war in Ukraine.
It comes weeks after Hungary assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union, a role in which it would normally host the event, and amid anger over a meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Hungary's actions should have consequences and that "we have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal".
Hungary described the move as "completely childish".
My problem is not that there exists ONE guy like him. It rather worries me that he's been doing shit like that for the past fourteen years, people have been watching it and every four years since then, more than half of them were like "yeah, that's what I want for the next four years, too."
Obviously it would still be unjust to judge the other half, but the fact that half of the county supports this thing is worrying at the very least.
More like every third person, turn out rates and all. But even that number is achived by what is basically propaganda flowing from all state owned TV and radio stations, newspapers and constant billboard campaings. They don't even say they are the best, they just say it's them or the PM from before them, who is now basically seen as devil incarnate (probably because of the same propaganda), even though I lived most of my life under Orban.
It's not so simple when many decisions in EU require unanimity. That sucker at least had the merit to show the limits of this model, and I expect rules to evolve to avoid being held hostage by one moron who doesn't respect the rule of law
Much like we’ve seen with the American political system, it relies on good-faith actors to a frankly shocking and inappropriate degree, and it starts to break down when you have lots of people who actively work against the common good.
The European Union has stripped Hungary of the right to host the next meeting of foreign and defence ministers over its stance on the war in Ukraine.It comes weeks after Hungary assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union, a role in which it would normally host the event, and amid anger over a meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.
Every six months, under each new council presidency, the EU's foreign and defence ministers hold informal meetings to discuss the biggest global issues facing the bloc.
Following the decision, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook: "What a fantastic response they have come up with.
"Mr Orban's meeting with Mr Putin came as part of what he described as a "peace mission" - launched days after Hungary assumed the council presidency - that also saw him visiting the leaders of Ukraine and China as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the US.
The trip sparked condemnation from leaders across the EU, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen describing it as "nothing but an appeasement mission".Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Mr Orban had "no mandate to negotiate or discuss on behalf of the EU", while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the trip sent "the wrong signal to the outside world and is an insult to the Ukrainian people’s fight for their freedom".The episode is one of numerous occasions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on which Hungary has been at odds with most of the rest of the EU about the appropriate response.
After winning re-election in April 2022, just months after the invasion, Mr Orban told a crowd of supporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was among the people he would have to "battle" in his fourth term.Last year, he repeatedly used Hungary's veto to delay a €50bn (£42bn) package of non-military financial aid to Ukraine.
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