Viktor Orban Arrives in Moscow to Meet with Putin

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has arrived in Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin, Orban's press secretary Bertalan Havasi said.

After Hungary took over the rotating presidency earlier this month, EUOrban visited Kyivwhere he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Kremlin has not officially announced that the head of the Hungarian government is also planning to fly to Moscow.

EU Council President Charles Michel previously noted that Orban, as President of the European Council, does not have a mandate to negotiate with Russia on behalf of the European Union. “The European Council knows that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim. Discussions about Ukraine cannot be held without Ukraine,” — said Charles Michel.

Orban himself said that he had arrived in Moscow to continue the “peace mission”. “You cannot achieve peace from a comfortable seat in Brussels. Even if the rotating presidency of the EU Council does not give a mandate to negotiate on behalf of the EU, we cannot sit back and wait for a miraculous end to the war. We will be an important instrument to help take the first steps towards peace,” — Orban wrote ahead of the trip.

The #peace The mission continues. Second stop: #Moscow. pic.twitter.com/kPOkKBsJQm

— Viktor Orban (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 5, 2024

Peskov said that they would discuss “the situation with the resolution of the issue on Ukraine.” Medinsky, who was the head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Istanbul, Ushakov and Lavrov will take part in the talks.

During negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which took place in Kyiv on July 2, 2024Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban proposed the idea of ​​an immediate ceasefire, but did not insist on it.

Orban and Zelensky said they want a broad cooperation agreement. Key points from the talks the media reported after the press conference:

1. Hungary is ready to support the modernization of the Ukrainian economy;
2. Ukraine and Hungary are preparing an agreement on bilateral relations;
3. Hungary intends to help Ukraine during its presidency of the council EU.

The EC said Orban's visit to Russia “undermines the unity” of the EU. The European Commission representative added that the Hungarian prime minister did not coordinate his trip with the agency.

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