Hungary blocks common EU statement to mark second anniversary of Ukraine invasion

Brussels: Hungary has blocked a statement that the European Union had been supposed to issue on February 23 to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, EU sources said.

The EU is now instead working on a statement to be issued on behalf of the three presidents of the main European institutions — EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament chief Roberta Metsola, and European Council President Charles Michel.

To issue a statement on behalf of the EU, all 27 member states need to consent. Budapest objected to the statement without offering a concrete explanation, sources said.