Report: EU to Snub Hungary's Foreign Affairs Summit

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Facts

  • EU representatives will boycott a foreign affairs summit scheduled for Hungary next month — instead organizing their own version of the event — according to diplomatic sources who spoke to Politico.1
  • Hungary, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, plans to host the foreign affairs summit in Budapest during August 28-29. However, one diplomat said they would snub the event to 'send a clear signal that Hungary does not speak for the EU.'1
  • It comes after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made trips to Ukraine, Russia, and China in an effort to find peace in Ukraine, sparking criticism from a number of European officials.2
  • Meanwhile, in an interview with Hungarian media published Monday, Orbán's political director Balázs Orbán said that the Hungarian peace plan 'now lies on the table of every EU leader.' He warned that without external mediators, 'we will see very brutal destruction in the coming months.'3
  • Elsewhere, after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggested that NATO help Ukraine with shooting down missiles, the idea was dismissed by outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. He said that while support for Ukraine will continue, 'we will not become part of the conflict.'4
  • On the ground, Ukrainian military officials said that fighting was most intense in the Pokrovsk area of the Donetsk region. Analysts said that while Ukraine regained lost positions near Vovchansk in Kharkiv, Russia made further gains near Avdiivka in Donetsk. Russia's Defense Ministry said it captured the village of Urozhaine in Donetsk over the weekend.5

Sources: 1POLITICO, 2Euronews, 3Ukrainska Pravda (a), 4Ukrainska Pravda (b) and 5Guardian.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by POLITICO. In recent weeks, Orbán has pursued his own pro-Putin policy without proper consultation with other EU officials. This move is intended to demonstrate to the Hungarian leader that EU leaders will not simply go along with another propaganda stunt.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by LIGA. It's clear that without responsible leadership from external mediators, the war in Ukraine will continue to escalate and cause further devastation and bloodshed. If Europe wants peace, it should back these plans instead of ostracizing them.

Predictions