Charles Michel tells Viktor Orbán he has ‘no role’ representing the EU on the world stage

European Council President Charles Michel has reprimanded Viktor Orbán over the Hungarian leader’s self-declared “peace missions” to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing and Washington.

In a letter to Orbán seen by POLITICO, Michel says the “rotating Presidency of the Council [in Hungary’s hands since July 1] has no role in representing the Union on the
international stage and received no European Council mandate to engage on behalf of the
Union.”

Michel adds that he “made this clear even prior to your visit to Moscow and this was subsequently reiterated by High Representative [Josep] Borrell in his statement of 5 July.”

Michel was responding to a note from Orbán featuring conclusions and suggestions based on his “peace missions,” including visiting Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Dated July 12 and viewed by Paul Ronzheimer of Axel Springer, POLITICO’s parent company, the note warned that with a “likely” Trump victory, the EU’s proportion of the financial burden of supporting Ukraine “will significantly change to the EU’s disadvantage.”

Citing his discussions with Trump, Orbán claimed in his note that he can “surely state that shortly after his election victory, [Trump] will not wait until his inauguration, but will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. He has detailed and well-founded plans for this.” No details of these plans were given.

In his response, Michel mentions the European Union’s “unwavering commitment to support
Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed” and rejects Orbán’s claim that the EU had “a pro-war policy.”

“Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim exercising its legitimate right to self-defence,” Michel writes.

The letter from Michel comes amid a counterattack against Hungary’s handling of the Council presidency. On Tuesday, numerous countries declined to send senior ministers to a Hungarian-hosted gathering of energy officials in Budapest, with at least four saying it was in protest. The development came just hours after the European Commission told its top officials to skip similar meetings.

Hans von der Burchard, Jacopo Barigazzi and Sarah Wheaton contributed reporting.