EUCO Liveblog
Orbán the (double) Trojan horse
EU leaders will later move to their Ukraine support discussion, which beyond the summit conclusions will also likely include elements on what future security guarantees they can provide to Kyiv and touch upon the Franco-British peace plan efforts.
The session will be held under the so-called 1+0 format typical for security-sensitive talks: leaders only, no phones, no delegations.
That's not to say all EU leaders will feel totally comfortable with Hungary being in the room, though.
"They are in the room with [Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán - just mind that," one EU diplomat said, quipping: "EU leaders will be careful into what kind of detail they go, being mindful that he can feed both Putin and Trump."
Another EU diplomat from an Eastern European country said more soberly that leaders are more than conscious of that by now: "We always had this Trojan horse problem, for many years now."
As Euractiv previously reported, Russia-wary European countries have in recent years become increasingly cautious of giving too much away in bigger summit meeting rooms - be it at NATO, the Bucharest Nine format or EU summits.
The session will be held under the so-called 1+0 format typical for security-sensitive talks: leaders only, no phones, no delegations.
That's not to say all EU leaders will feel totally comfortable with Hungary being in the room, though.
"They are in the room with [Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán - just mind that," one EU diplomat said, quipping: "EU leaders will be careful into what kind of detail they go, being mindful that he can feed both Putin and Trump."
Another EU diplomat from an Eastern European country said more soberly that leaders are more than conscious of that by now: "We always had this Trojan horse problem, for many years now."
As Euractiv previously reported, Russia-wary European countries have in recent years become increasingly cautious of giving too much away in bigger summit meeting rooms - be it at NATO, the Bucharest Nine format or EU summits.