Germany ‘surprised’ by Hungary’s cancellation of foreign ministers’ meeting

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Hungary has cancelled a meeting scheduled for Monday in Budapest between the German foreign minister and her Hungarian counterpart, a German foreign ministry official said on Friday.

The German Foreign Ministry said it was “surprised” and that a “serious and honest” discussion was necessary after the meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the Russian president. Vladimir Poutine Friday.

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry and a government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Moscow meeting was the first meeting of an EU leader with Putin in Moscow since April 2022, two months after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The talks have angered some European Union leaders, who have warned against any attempt to appease Moscow and said Orban was not speaking on behalf of the EU.

The German Foreign Ministry official said the meeting would be rescheduled.

(Reporting by Tom Sims and Anita Komuves; Editing by Diane Craft and Alistair Bell)