Orban to Putin: “Peace mission”. Tajani slams him: “This is not the time”

Orban to Putin, “peace mission”; Kremlin, “Ukraine on the agenda”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that he is in Moscow to “continue his peacekeeping mission” after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on July 2. Orban wrote this on X, posting a photo of his arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Orban’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin today. “Ukraine is also on the agenda,” the spokesman said.

Ukraine: Orban, my commitment to peace even without EU mandate

“We cannot achieve peace by sitting comfortably in an armchair in Brussels. Even though the rotating EU presidency does not have the mandate to negotiate on behalf of the EU, we cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end. We will serve as an important instrument to take the first steps towards peace. This is the purpose of our peace mission,” he wrote in X.

Tajani, Orban to Putin? It doesn’t seem like the right time for visits

“Orban? He is going to Moscow as Hungarian Prime Minister, I don’t think it’s the right time to visit Russia but everyone does what they want. The European Union is for peace but not for surrender to Putin: it must be peace, not surrender. Putin’s proposal is a farce, dialogue and discussion are welcome but we will continue to help Ukraine”. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, on the sidelines of the Forza Italia press conference, commenting on Viktor Orban’s visit to Russia.

Ukraine: Borrell, Orban does not represent the EU in any way

“Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s visit to Moscow takes place exclusively in the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia.” “Orban has not received any mandate from the Council of the EU to visit Moscow. The EU’s position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is reflected in many conclusions of the European Council. This position excludes official contacts between the EU and President Putin. The Hungarian Prime Minister therefore does not represent the EU in any form,” said the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, in a statement. “Hungary is now the EU Member State holding the rotating Presidency of the Council until 31 December 2024. This does not imply any external representation of the Union, which is the responsibility of the President of the European Council at the level of Heads of State or Government and of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at ministerial level,” he explained. “In addition, it is worth recalling that President Putin has been indicted by the International Criminal Court and an arrest warrant has been issued for his role in connection with the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia,” the head of European diplomacy added.

Ukraine: EU, Orban’s visit is pro-Putin, not peace

“We do not want an appeasement with Moscow. We want a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. That is why we believe that a trip to Moscow plays more in favor of Vladimir Putin than in favor of real and lasting peace,” said the spokesperson of the European Commission, Eric Mamer, regarding the trip of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, to Moscow.

Ukraine: EU, Orban’s visit undermines unity; we are not informed

“It is clear that whatever the message about the visit from Prime Minister Orban, the substance of this visit is not the right one. It is about appeasement and not peace and we believe that it undermines the unity and determination that we must show to end this war.” “We were absolutely not informed about the visit, it was not coordinated with us or anyone else that I know of,” he added.

Ukraine: Scholz on Orban in Moscow, EU support to continue

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged that the European Union’s support for Ukraine will not weaken despite a controversial trip to Moscow by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency. Orban is not representing the EU during the visit, Scholz said, stressing that “the bloc’s clear message is that Ukraine can count on our solidarity, which Putin cannot.”

Ukraine: EU, Commission visit to Budapest now in doubt

“This visit to Moscow seriously calls into question the traditional visit of the Commission presidency to Hungary – for the rotating presidency – that we had planned immediately after the summer break,” said European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer, regarding Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s trip to Moscow. “Orban said he had no mandate. But the symbolism is very clear. This trip is taking place five days after the start of the Hungarian presidency,” he added.