The meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Budapest next month may be canceled due to growing anger over Hungary's cooperation with Russia. Eurogroup head Paschal Donoghue will make a decision by next week, officials told Politico, UNN reports .
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The meeting is currently scheduled for September 13. But one official said intense talks are underway about a possible boycott by ministers regardless of Donoho's decision.
Talks between finance ministers usually take place once a month, but twice a year in the country that holds the rotating EU presidency. A preparatory meeting with senior civil servants is scheduled for September 5 and 6. Politico notes that the EU Council's website currently has no information about the Eurogroup.
The newspaper writes that several ministers have already made it clear that they will not attend the meeting, even if it is held in Hungary, including German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and his colleagues from Estonia, Finland and Lithuania.
In July, several countries boycotted ministerial meetings in Budapest in retaliation for Orban's visits to Russia. The European Commission said that its top officials would not attend any of the meetings during Hungary's six-month presidency, which runs until the end of the year, sparking outrage in Budapest.
During a public meeting of EU finance ministers in July, many ministers criticized Orban for meeting with Putin and not prioritizing aid to Ukraine.