Von der Leyen to raise Orbán’s Russia links at upcoming EU summit

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to raise concerns over possible links between outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Russia at an informal European Union summit in Cyprus.

The upcoming meeting of EU leaders will focus on geopolitics and the EU budget and may be Orbán’s final summit in his current capacity, Caliber.Az reports, citing Hungarian outlet Telex.

Telex noted that the agenda may also include discussions of reports concerning contacts between Hungarian and Russian officials.

Earlier, European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said the Commission was concerned about the information and confirmed von der Leyen’s intention to raise the issue at the leader level.

The European Commission believes the Hungarian government should provide clarifications on the matter.

According to the report, Brussels intends to continue applying pressure on the issue during discussions among EU heads of state and government.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov