NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said Hungarian Prime Minister Orban informed the alliance about his visit to Russia before leaving.
“Of course Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban does not represent NATO in these meetings. He represents his country,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on July 5. “Hungary agrees with the view that Russia bears responsibility for the war in Ukraine. Russia can end the war today by stopping its attacks on Ukraine.”
Prime Minister Orban unsettled his European Union and NATO allies when he traveled to Russia on July 5 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders discussed for nearly three hours a range of issues, including the conflict in Ukraine, including how to resolve it, and Hungary’s EU presidency. Mr. Orban described the trip as a “mission of peace.”
President Putin said he considered Prime Minister Orban to represent Europe, while EU leaders stressed that Mr Orban was acting on his own initiative and was not responsible for speaking for the bloc.
Secretary General Stoltenberg said he expected Prime Minister Orban to have “an opportunity to discuss” the content of his conversation with the Russian leader at the NATO summit in Washington next week.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on July 5. Photo: AFP
Before going to Russia, Mr. Orban traveled to Kiev on July 2, marking his first visit to Ukraine since the outbreak of hostilities in early 2022. During a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr. Orban called on Ukraine to accept a “quick ceasefire” with Russia to promote peace talks, but Mr. Zelensky did not seem to respond.
Meanwhile, at the meeting in Moscow, the Russian President affirmed that the negotiation process should lead to “a complete end to the conflict”, instead of just “ceasefires for Kiev to gather weapons and forces”.
Most NATO members are providing military, financial and political support to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Hungary is not providing military aid, but has nevertheless taken up the ally’s initiatives, albeit reluctantly or after weeks of resistance.
Many EU officials and member states have criticized Mr Orban’s trip to Moscow, saying it undermines the rotating EU presidency and causes divisions within the bloc. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also criticized the meeting between Prime Minister Orban and President Putin, stressing that Kiev was not consulted or informed about the event.
Prime Minister Orban is one of the EU leaders with the most pro-Russia stance. He has frequently criticized European plans for military and financial support for Ukraine and blocked a 50 billion euro ($53 billion) aid package from Brussels to Kiev for weeks.
He has also publicly opposed EU talks on Ukraine’s accession and the bloc’s sanctions against Russia, but has not used his veto power to block these moves.
Huyen Le (Theo AFP)