Rumors have been swelling and accumulating since Thursday in Russia and Europe about the possibility of a visit to Moscow by the Hungarian Prime Minister. Viktor Orban had created a surprise by going to Kiev on July 2, the day after the opening of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union. This time, he would go to Russia this Friday, July 5, accompanied by his Minister of Foreign Affairs, a rumor so credible that it provoked the anger of the Europeans.
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This time, Viktor Orban pretends to cross a red line by positioning himself as a mediator between kyiv and Moscow. He unilaterally called for a ceasefire during his visit to Ukraine, a visit he justifies by saying that it is about resolving the challenges facing Europe, within the framework of the Hungary’s European PresidencyThis visit by Viktor Orban would be the first by a European Union leader to Moscow since April 11, 2022.
His Polish counterpart Donald Tusk expressed his disbelief at a meeting between Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin, reports our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre BenazetBut it is from Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, that the condemnation comes: “ Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussion on Ukraine can take place without Ukraine “And the Finnish Petteri Orpo agrees that his Hungarian counterpart has no mandate to negotiate with Moscow: Hungary does not lead the European Union, it leads the councils of the European Union, that is to say the ministers.
International relations are the responsibility of Charles Michel and foreign policy is in the hands of the head of diplomacy, currently Josep Borrel but soon Kaja Kallas. But Viktor Orban did not appreciate being excluded from the decisions of the last summit on key positions and his relationship with Moscow is also a snub to his EU partners.
A Prime Minister never far from the Kremlin
Viktor Orban in Moscow is, after all, in line with his equivocal attitude towards Russia since the beginning of the war. The Hungarian Prime Minister went to Shanghai in October to meet Vladimir Putin, a gaping breach in the EU’s barrier to the Kremlin, a trip that his European counterparts have downplayed or pretended to ignore. Just as they have pretended to ignore the repeated trips to Moscow by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.
A fervent supporter of Donald Trump, the Hungarian Prime Minister has always remained close to the Kremlin, opposed arms deliveries to kyiv and severely criticized Western sanctions against Russia.
Read alsoIn kyiv for the first time, Viktor Orban demands a “ceasefire” with Russia from Ukraine