Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's "peace journeys" to China and the USA are causing upset in the EU leadership.
Sweden is no exception, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Hungary's EU presidency from July 1 has had a more than shaky start. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and host country Hungary have received a hefty dose of criticism after Orbán not only traveled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow but also visited China.
The trips have been questioned from the EU side, as have the conclusions Orbán has drawn in a letter to Council President Charles Michel, where he takes Russia's side.
Hijacking the EU presidency
At the same time, Hungary is participating in NATO's top meeting in Washington as one of 32 members.
We are many within EU circles who have been very critical of this. We think that in practice, one is hijacking the Hungarian presidency to make trips that signal or imply that one is acting on behalf of the EU. That's not the case, says Kristersson to TT on the question of Orbán's "peace journeys".
Kristersson points out that a prime minister is free to travel to any country they want, but that the disagreement over Ukraine support in EU circles between Hungary and other countries is well-known.
It's nothing new, what's new is that a few days into a presidency, one travels to Russia and China and gives the impression of holding peace talks. We think that's serious.
Reaching agreement
When it comes to NATO support for Ukraine, Hungary has previously announced that it does not intend to finance such support, which Ulf Kristersson regrets.
Do you see reason to bring up Hungary and Orbán's actions towards Russia/China during the NATO meeting?
I think it's a smaller NATO context, here there is a formalized and clear order. We have reached an agreement that Hungary has opted out. The EU is a completely different matter. There, a presidency is required that creates the conditions for joint decisions.
