Press
The EU is concerned about a rumor that Viktor Orbán could meet Putin in Moscow. The Hungarian head of government promises “surprising news from surprising places.”
Update from July 5, 11:38 am: The rumors have been confirmed: Hungary’s right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has arrived in Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Orban’s spokesman Bertalan Havasi announced this.
Rumours about Orban meeting with Putin in Moscow: EU Council President and Tusk worried
First report: Moscow – The rumor that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is travelling to Moscow for a meeting with Wladimir Putin to Moscow is stirring up the EU. As early as Friday (5 July), Orbán is due to travel to the Russian president, who launched a war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. While Hungary remains silent on the reports, EU representatives and other heads of government are expressing their concern.
The rumors come from the investigative portal VSquare and the broadcasting group RFE/RLwho had previously reported, citing anonymous sources, that Orbán would meet Putin in Moscow on Friday. “The rotating EU Council Presidency has no mandate to conduct a dialogue with Russia on behalf of the EU,” warned EU-Council President Charles Michel on Thursday on X (formerly Twitter). Only on Monday (1 July) did Hungary take over the rotating EU presidency until the end of the year.
Michel went on to write that the European Council agreed: “Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim.” A discussion about Ukraine cannot take place without Kiev. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also expressed his concerns about the Putin-Orbán rumors. “The rumors about your visit to Moscow cannot be true, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, or can they?” reads Tusk’s X-account.
Orban fuels rumors about meeting with Putin: “Surprising news from surprising places”
As the news agency AFP According to the press release, numerous attempts by the EU to confirm the reports about Orbán’s possible trip to Russia have been unsuccessful. The Hungarian Prime Minister did not inform about a meeting with Putin, but announced on Monday that he would “give surprising news from surprising places”. The Hungarian government wanted to dispel the rumors on AFPHowever, he could neither confirm nor deny the request. EU Council President Charles Michel made it clear that he would have “strongly advised Orbán against such a visit”.
Despite the war in Ukraine: Hungary’s Prime Minister Orbán maintains close relations with Moscow and Putin
If Viktor Orbán does indeed pay Putin a visit on Friday, it would be the first visit by a European head of state or government to Russia’s capital since Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer traveled to Moscow in April 2022. Orbán, who continues to maintain close relations with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine, last met Putin at a summit in Beijing in October 2023. When Putin was re-elected as Russian president, the Hungarian prime minister stressed the “mutual respect” between the two countries.
Only on Tuesday, Viktor Orbán travelled to Kyiv for the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. There he urged the Ukrainian President Zelensky to a temporary ceasefire with Russia to enable peace talks. Previously, Orbán had repeatedly called for sanctions against Russia and delayed EU financial aid for war-torn Ukraine. He also repeatedly opposed the opening of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine. (nbe with material from AFP)
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