NEW YORK, February 23. /TASS/. Hungary has blocked European Union member states from signing a joint statement to mark two years since the launch of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Bloomberg said citing sources.

The statement was supposed to be released on February 23, but this did not happen because of Hungary’s veto. For that reason, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola issued a joint statement of their own.

It was also reported that the reasons for the Hungarian veto were not immediately clear. The Bloomberg source said that a non-NATO EU member also had doubts about some parts of the statement.

Hungary has a special position in the European Union concerning the Ukraine conflict. It supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but also stands up for the rights of the Russian-speaking population. Budapest seeks to minimize its economic losses from anti-Russian sanctions and maintains dialogue with Moscow, calling for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.