EU ministers to meet in Brussels instead of Budapest

The European Union (EU) has stripped Hungary of the right to host the next meeting of foreign and defense ministers over its stance on the war in Ukraine, reports the BBC.

It comes weeks after Hungary assumed the presidency of the Council of the EU, a role in which it would normally host the event, and amid anger over a meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Hungary's actions should have consequences and that "we have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal."

Hungary described the move as "completely childish".

Every six months, under each new council presidency, the EU's foreign and defense ministers hold informal meetings to discuss the biggest global issues facing the bloc.

The next set of meetings will take place on August 28-30 and were to be held in Budapest, but on Monday Borrell announced they would instead take place in Brussels.