“Hungary is slowly becoming the only country in Europe that can still communicate with both warring parties,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Friday.
While the EU and NATO leaders were tripping over themselves in their press releases to say that the Hungarian had no mandate from these organizations, Orbán thanked his host for receiving him under these difficult circumstances. He recalled the part of his peace mission that took him to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday. But because there are hardly any states left that are in contact with either warring party, Orbán wanted to ascertain Putin’s position on several issues of importance for Europe.
Putin rejects ceasefire
The exchange of views in Moscow naturally revolved around a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and bilateral relations. Putin described the developments in Ukraine as the biggest European crisis. The Russian president was keen to hear the views of the Hungarian prime minister – also in his capacity as chairman of the EU Council Presidency – and of his partners in the community. At the subsequent press conference, he described the three-hour exchange of views as “in-depth, direct and honest”.
However, Putin once once more rejected Orbán’s proposal for a ceasefire because “the Kiev regime would only misuse the time for rearmament.” “Moscow is in favor of a complete and final end to the conflict,” he said. However, he saw no will on the Ukrainian side to end the conflict. Instead, Ukraine’s “sponsors” were exploiting the country and making it a victim. Nevertheless, Putin thanked Orbán once more for the initiative to start talks, which he viewed as an attempt to return to dialogue.
Orbán: “Viewpoints still very far apart”
“The positions of Russia and Ukraine are very far apart, and there is still a lot to be done before this conflict can be resolved,” Orbán said at the press conference. “But peace will not come by itself, you have to work hard for it. I have spoken to Putin regarding ways in which we can reach a peace agreement.” Europe needs peace, and as soon as possible, because its economy and competitiveness are suffering.
The Hungarian Prime Minister recalled that this was his 14th bilateral meeting with Putin since 2009, and he considered the current one to be of an extraordinary nature. The meeting in the Kremlin was also attended by the foreign ministers of Hungary and Russia, Péter Szijjártó and Sergei Lavrov. Orbán was last in Moscow in February 2022, just weeks before the start of the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said following the meeting that Moscow appreciated that Viktor Orbán was trying to coordinate the positions of Russia and Ukraine.
The West reacts with harsh criticism
Viktor Orbán received harsh criticism from Western Europe for his peacekeeping mission. EU Council President Charles Michel stated that the EU Presidency was not issuing a mandate to enter into contact with Russia on behalf of the EU. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen repeated her well-known position that an “appeasement policy” would not stop Putin, alluding to the attitude of the Western powers towards Hitler in World War II.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell went even further, and in addition to the usual admonition to the Hungarian, he also brought up the ICC’s international arrest warrant once morest Putin on suspicion of war crimes. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also said that he did not consider the timing to be appropriate for a visit to Russia. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry denied that Orbán had coordinated his trip to Moscow with Kiev.
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