Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the European Parliament's call earlier this week to cut funding for Hungary because of a retreat from democracy was a "boring joke."

European Union lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to condemn the damage to democracy in Hungary under Orban, increasing pressure on the EU to cut funding for the country.

"The only reason we don’t laugh at it is because we’re bored of it. It's a boring joke. It’s the third or fourth time they’ve passed a resolution condemning Hungary in the European Parliament. At first, we thought it was significant. But now we see it as a joke," Orban said after meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. 

Citing corruption risks, the European Commission is expected to recommend later this week that billions of dollars earmarked for Budapest be suspended from the bloc's total budget of 1.1 trillion euros for 2021-2027.