Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sharply rebuked Brussels ahead of next week’s European Council summit, accusing EU leaders of using Ukraine to ‘cover up their inability’ to solve the bloc’s real problems—namely soaring energy costs and a crisis in the automotive industry.
EU leaders will meet in Copenhagen on Wednesday for an informal European Council meeting, testing how far Brussels is willing to go to sideline Viktor Orbán. Council President António Costa is lobbying to bypass Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s accession talks and on the use of frozen Russian assets—an approach Budapest says violates treaties and destroys institutional balance.
Viktor Orbán has lifted his veto on €50 billion in financial aid for Ukraine, relying on the guarantees provided by EU leaders.
In her welcoming speech at the reception of the Ambassadors accredited to Hungary, President Novák addressed the global challenges facing our world, the future of Europe, and Hungary’s role on the international stage.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán emphasised that Budapest and Warsaw will join forces to protect the agricultural workers of Central Europe from the negative effects of ‘grain dumps’ coming from Ukraine.
During the European Council summit on Thursday, EU leaders welcomed the Ukrainian president to Brussels, showing support for the West’s ally as Ukraine gets ready for an anticipated Russian offensive.
On 1 July, Denmark is assuming the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. They will be carrying over European competitiveness as a major priority from the Hungarian presidency a year ago. However, on the issues of migration, Russian energy imports, and Ukraine’s EU accession, they are taking the exact opposite stances, as discussed on the Hungarian news channel Hír TV.
European competitiveness was made the top priority of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2024, thus the meetings of the EU Competitiveness Council have carried special, added significance to them. The last of these meetings took place last week under the Hungarian Presidency, where five conclusions were adopted by the Member States.
The leaders of the EU Member States will convene in Budapest on Friday for an informal European Council meeting. While not much is known about the agenda, Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election is likely to significantly influence the mood and the priorities of the discussion.
The Patriots for Europe EP group held their first summit on Thursday in Brussels. The meeting was attended by all the leaders of the PfE parties and took place ahead of the European Council summit scheduled to discuss the war in Ukraine, migration, as well as key economic policies, all of which Hungary differs on with most member states.