EU Ministers to scrutinise Orban's controversial foreign visits: "Not surprising that the ego trips had irritated many"

The foreign ministers of EU countries will discuss at a meeting on Monday in Brussels the "unacceptable" visits of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Moscow and Beijing, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell informed before the meeting.

“We will discuss what has happened and positions taken by the Hungarian government,” Borrell said. He added that member states will have to debate this issue before making any potential decisions on dealing with the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU over the coming months.

Orbán recently visited Kyiv, Moscow, and Beijing as part of a self-proclaimed "peace mission." He also discussed this matter during and after the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

Orbán's self-proclaimed "peace mission," which he began after Hungary assumed the presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July, was sharply criticised by representatives of EU institutions and many politicians from member states of the Community.

The European Commission announced on 15 July that it will be represented exclusively by senior officials at informal Council of the EU meetings in Budapest, not by commissioners. This is in response to Orbán's unannounced and uncoordinated visit to Moscow at the beginning of July.

In a Friday interview, Orbán announced that he would continue his "peace mission" until a ceasefire is reached in Russia's war against Ukraine. The politician considered the November presidential elections in the USA crucial for his mission.

Orbán, in an interview with public broadcaster Radio Kossuth, said that he negotiates with someone every day about some possibility, some detail, or some new initiative.