The EU rules out for itself any official contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin due to the bloc’s position on the Ukrainian conflict, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has not received a mandate from Brussels to represent the EU during a potential visit to Moscow, European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.
Borrell said:
“This position excludes official contacts between the EU and President Putin … the Hungarian prime minister does not represent the EU in any form.”
Meanwhile, Hungary would like to encourage Russia and Ukraine to negotiate, but realises that large countries should organise them, Orbán stated on the air of radio station Kossuth. He said:
“Hungary is aware of its place and its weight, big negotiations will be handled by big countries.”
The Hungarian prime minister explained that he wanted to encourage the parties to negotiate during his visit to Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Orban’s possible visit to Russia
Asked about what would follow the meeting with Zelensky, Orbán said that given the sensitive nature of these steps, it would only be possible to talk about them after they had taken place.
He neither confirmed nor denied media reports that he intends to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Viktor Orbán said on Kossuth radio:
“Since these steps are of a very delicate nature, it will be possible to talk about them only after they take place.”
The Hungarian prime minister arrived in Ukraine on July 2. During his visit, he said that the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict would be the most important issue during Hungary’s six-month presidency of the EU Council. At a meeting with Zelensky, he urged him to consider the possibility of a ceasefire even before the start of possible peace talks. The Ukrainian president’s office rejected this proposal, stressing that the conflict settlement should take place through peace summits.
