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EU ministerial meeting to be relocated to Brussels from Budapest — Borrell

Borrell also pointed out that the EU countries were unable to reach an agreement to unlock money for weapons shipped to Kiev, since Hungary refused to lift its veto

BRUSSELS, July 22. /TASS/. The European Council refused to hold an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Budapest in response to Hungary’s "undermining of the EU’s common policy," and so the meeting will be held in Brussels instead, EU High Representative Josep Borrell told reporters.

He pointed out that he used his right to decide on the meeting place, because 25 out of 27 EU member states condemn Hungary’s position, adding that the relocation of the meeting is supposed to send a signal to Hungary.

He pointed out, however, that the EU countries did not have a unanimous opinion on this issue: some ministers still wanted to go to Budapest, while others offered to go to Brussels, and the third party called for an intermediate option.

Borrell also pointed out that the EU countries were unable to reach an agreement to unlock money for weapons shipped to Kiev, since Hungary refused to lift its veto.

"This is shameful," he said, pointing out that the European Peace Facility money remains blocked by one single member state. "And not because we are not able to provide military support to Ukraine. This money has to be paid to the member states, because member states have already provided military support, and Ukraine has received it. But the member states are not being reimbursed, and what they did in the past, they will have little incentive to do again in the future," Borrell said.