Orban is probably one of the EU’s most pro-Russian leaders. He is one of the few Western leaders who have met Russian President Vladimir Putin since the war began. Putin says that he wants to hear Orban’s views on Ukraine, and that Orban must explain his position to other European countries. Furthermore, he says that he is ready to “discuss nuances about Ukraine” with Orban. Putin says he is ready to “discuss nuances about Ukraine” Photo: Valeriy Sharifulin / AP – No mandate to engage in Russia Orban’s flirtation with Putin is extra inflamed for the EU as Orban takes over as the leader of the presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers, a duties that go round. – Orban does not have a mandate to engage in Russia on behalf of the EU, tweeted an angry EU President Charles Michel on Wednesday evening when rumors of the trip began to spread. The so-called “peace tour”, which takes place just days before the start of the NATO summit in Washington, is also heavily criticized by other EU summits. – The peace tour continues. Next trip: Moscow, write Orban on the messaging service X. Photo: Skjermdump / X Orban, for his part, defends that you cannot make peace from “an armchair in Brussels”. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has also reacted to Orban’s visit to Moscow. – Orban is traveling in the capacity of Hungary’s prime minister and will not represent NATO, of which Hungary is a member, Stoltenberg said. Visited Kyiv On Tuesday, Orban was in Ukraine for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyi. It was the first time that Orban was in Ukraine after the Russian invasion. The two leaders are said to have discussed peace and cooperation agreements between Hungary and Ukraine. At a press conference after the Kyiv visit, Viktor Viktor Orban said he had asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyj to consider a ceasefire before peace negotiations. – A cease-fire can speed up the talks with Russia, he said. – Ukraine and Hungary are now trying to put past differences behind them and focus on the future, he added. Orban says he wants to put past disagreements with Ukraine behind him. Photo: GENYA SAVILOV / AFP Zelenskyy told his Hungarian colleague that Europe “should continue with military support for Ukraine”. Orban has been critical of the West sending such support. Until Tuesday, Orban was one of the few who had not visited Ukraine since the war started. Of the EU’s 27 heads of state, Orban is the only one who received a New Year’s greeting from Putin on the eve of 2023. Published 05/07/2024, at 14.24 Updated 05.07.2024, at 14.33
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Viktor Orban on Moscow trip to Vladimir Putin – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
