Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban justified his visit to Moscow and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who did not agree with EU leaders, by talking about the negative impact that the war in Ukraine has on European citizens. This is what can be read in a letter obtained by DPA, dated July 5 – the same day as the visit – and addressed to the President of the European Council Charles Michel and other EU leaders. “The negative economic effects of the war place a heavy burden on the daily lives of our citizens and on the competitiveness of the European Union,” is the thesis supported by Orban, who has been in office for nine days since the 27th.
In the letter, the Hungarian prime minister recounts his impressions of his meeting with Putin last Friday, with the Russian president convinced that he had time on his side and surprised that Kiev did not accept his conditions for the ceasefire. According to what Orban writes in the letter to his colleagues in Brussels, based on the discussions with the Russian president, “there is now a greater opportunity for a ceasefire and a path to peace talks”.
The Hungarian PM then urged the 27 to take the initiative, at a time when “the political leadership of the United States is limited due to the ongoing election campaign”. Orban’s mission to Moscow will be the focus of a meeting of the permanent representatives to the EU tomorrow, with the Hungarian ambassador invited to “provide clarifications”.
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