Hungary blocks Poland's initiative to hold Foreign Affairs Council in Lviv

Poland offered to hold a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Lviv late August, but the Hungarian Presidency of the EU rejected the proposal.

This was stated by the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Radoslaw Sikorski, after the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Ukrinform reports with reference to Wnp.pl.

Sikorski said most of the meeting’s time was taken up by the discussion of where the formal or informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council should be held during Hungaria’s Presidency.

According to Poland’s top diplomat, at the moment there is no final decision in this regard as several countries believe that Budapest cannot host an informal Council due to the recent "peacemaking" visits to Russia and China by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán without the consent of the rest of the EU member states.

"I proposed a compromise solution for the Council to meet in Ukraine. This would be a sign of our solidarity with the country," Sikorski emphasized.

He added that for logistical reasons, such a meeting could be held in the west of Ukraine, citing Lviv as an example. Sikorski added that Hungary had blocked Poland’s proposal.

As reported, in early July, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, after traveling to Kyiv, made unexpected visits to Moscow and Beijing, where he tried to discuss "peaceful initiatives" toward ending the war in Ukraine. EU leaders, including European Council President Charles Michel and EU High Representative Josep Borrell, pointed out that the Hungarian prime minister, who currently chairs the EU Council, was given no authority to make the tour so he acted in his own name exclusively.

Hungary also opposes the EU providing collective defense aid to Ukraine and has been blocking a number of decisions related to arms supplies to the nation.