EU worried about rumors of Orban's visit to Putin
Recently, Hungary has held the EU Council Presidency. Reports about an upcoming trip of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Russia have caused unease in the EU. Orban has no mandate to conduct a dialogue with Russia on behalf of the EU, warned EU Council President Charles Michel in an online service. Michel added that the European Council's stance regarding the Russian aggression against Ukraine is clear: "Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No talks about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also addressed the rumors of Orban's upcoming visit to Moscow on the same online platform. "The rumors about your visit to Moscow cannot be true, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, or can they?", wrote Tusk.
Previously, investigative portal "Vsquare" and the RFE/RL broadcasting group reported, citing anonymous sources, that Orban was expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday. The Hungarian government initially declined to comment on the reports. However, on Monday, Orban had announced that there would be "surprising news from surprising places."
This would be the first Moscow visit by a European head of state or government since Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer's visit in April 2022. Orban had met Putin at a summit in Beijing in October 2021.
Orban met Selenskyj recently
Hungary took over the rotating EU Council Presidency on Monday. The following day, Orban was the first European leader to visit Ukraine since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, and he held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Orban urged Zelenskyy to consider a time-limited ceasefire with Russia to facilitate peace talks. Zelenskyy countered that his country wanted a "just peace," and he urged Orban to support Kiev with Hungary's international partners.
Orban maintains close relations with Moscow despite the Ukraine conflict. He has repeatedly delayed EU sanctions against Russia and financial aid for Kiev. Additionally, he has criticized the EU's opening of accession talks with Ukraine.
After the Western-criticized re-election of Putin in March, Orban congratulated the Kremlin chief. In his message, he assured that "mutual respect" still prevailed between the two countries - "even in challenging geopolitical contexts."
Despite the EU's clear stance against Russian aggression towards Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to maintain close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Orban's upcoming visit to Russia, although unconfirmed, has sparked concern in the EU, especially given his history of delaying EU sanctions against Russia and critiquing EU's relations with Ukraine.
