Top EU officials to hold boycott of meetings hosted by Hungary

The European Commission will carry out a partial boycott of Hungary's EU presidency, according to a spokesman on Monday, in the wake of controversial trips taken by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán which angered top officials.

Informal meetings of EU ministers will not be attended by EU commissioners, but only by senior officials "in light of recent developments marking the start of the Hungarian presidency," a spokesman for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.

The decision comes after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin just days after Hungary assumed the EU presidency at the start of July.

Orbán said he was on a "peace mission" but EU leaders strongly condemned the trip and stressed that he did not have an EU mandate for the talks.

Chief spokesman Eric Mamer also announced that the European Commission would forego its traditional inaugural visit to Hungary to welcome in the Hungarian presidency.