Michel to cut short visit to China due to Orban's threats
European Council President Charles Michel will cut short his visit to Beijing amid risks that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban could disrupt the EU leaders' summit in mid-December over Ukraine.
An EU official told Politico.
Michel, who is traveling to China for the first in-person EU-China summit since 2019, "will return to Brussels to continue discussions with leaders on the way forward," the official said.
Michel will return from the Chinese capital earlier - after the first day of meetings on Thursday. This will be partly because he does not have a secure phone line in Beijing to hold talks with EU leaders without being tapped by China, the official said.
Michel met with Orban in Budapest last week in an effort to ease tensions ahead of the EU leaders' summit.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also invited Orban to meet with him in Paris later this week to try to reach a compromise, another official told Politico.
Author - Olena Madiak, 05/12/2023
