Orbán in Moscow

Are EU ministers now avoiding Hungarian soil?

Viktor Orbán's "peace mission" has caused quite a stir in the EU.(Bild: APA/AP)

In response to the unilateral actions of Hungarian head of government Viktor Orbán at the start of his country's EU Council Presidency - meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese head of state Xi Jinping - Sweden is temporarily refusing to send ministers to Hungary for meetings. Other EU states are also threatening similar protest measures.

Sweden's current EU Minister and designated EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall stated on Thursday that Hungary's actions are harmful and must have consequences. Sweden would therefore only take part in informal meetings in Hungary at official level in July.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Jessika Roswall does not want to attend any informal meetings in Hungary until further notice.(Bild: APA/AFP/TT NEWS AGENCY/Mikaela LANDESTROEM)

Viktor Orbán's "peace mission" has caused quite a stir in the EU.(Bild: APA/AP)

According to Roswall, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland want to react similarly to Hungary's actions. Discussions are also underway in other countries. Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg recently spoke out against a boycott of the Hungarian EU Council Presidency in protest against Prime Minister Orbán's solo actions. 

Swedish prime minister: "Orbán is kidnapping the Council presidency"
Orbán recently made a surprise visit to President Vladimir Putin in Moscow without consulting Brussels, which drew strong criticism from the EU. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson criticized the trip as "irresponsible and disloyal" shortly after it became known. Now he has gone one better: Orbán is abusing the EU Council Presidency and hijacking it for his own purposes, Kristersson said on the fringes of the NATO summit in Washington.