(Bloomberg) -- Hungary doubled down on its vitriol against the European Union after a meeting of finance chiefs in its capital that saw major players stay away.
“We already talked about the creative ideas brought up in the EU in order to obstruct the Hungarian presidency,” Finance Minister Mihaly Varga told reporters on Friday. “Despite the idea of the boycott, all members represented themselves and the central banks of almost all member states were also represented at a high level.”
Varga highlighted that International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and the head of the OECD attended the so-called informal Ecofin. He didn’t mention that no EU commissioner was at the event and that the finance ministers of more than a dozen of countries — including Germany and France — were absent.
“The newest sanctions incentive of Brussels has in this case worked to the benefit of the Hungarian presidency,” said Varga, speaking on a lonely stage.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban kicked off Hungary’s six-month EU presidency in July with uncoordinated diplomatic freelancing, which included a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That triggered a backlash from the European Commission, which decided to avoid sending its top officials to the informal meetings taking place in Hungary through the end of the year.
Orban said earlier on Friday that more surprise diplomatic moves were likely as part of a self-described “peace mission.”
Georgieva is in hot water herself as several EU nations challenged the IMF chief on the Washington-based lender’s plan to engage with Russia on economic issues for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine.
Asked about the issue, Varga said that “Kristalina gave us a reasonable explanation about the situation, which means that it’s a rule of the IMF in every period have to make report about a country.”
He also said Europe’s economy was lagging behind other regions partly as it’s the most impacted by the negative consequences of the war in Ukraine, adding that was a reason to end it.
Hungary has been pushing for a ceasefire in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is in its third year. Western allies have responded with withering criticism, calling this an attempt to undercut support for Kyiv.
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