The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, responded to the letter of the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, in which he outlined his vision for a peaceful settlement of the war between Russia and Ukraine and proposed to restore diplomatic relations with Moscow.
Interfax-Ukraine and Radio Svoboda, who received Michelʼs answer, write about it.
The head of the European Council said that he takes Orbanʼs thoughts and proposals into account, but draws his attention to the fact that the EUʼs position on Ukraine is agreed upon by consensus. That is, the EU will steadfastly support Ukraine in the war. The high-ranking official said that no discussion about the war can take place without Ukraine, but the EU is ready to enter into contacts with countries that will help establish a "just peace".
Michel also reminded Orbán that he does not have a mandate from the European Union to negotiate the war on behalf of the EU. Hungaryʼs presidency of the EU Council does not grant this right. "The rotating chairmanship of the Council has no role in the representation of the European Union on the international arena," noted Michel.
He rejects the statement of the Hungarian Prime Minister that the EU is pursuing a "pro-war policy" and reminds him that Ukraine is a victim of invasion and aggression by Russia, therefore it has the right to self-defense. Michel calls Russiaʼs withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine the path to peace.
- On July 2, Orban came to Kyiv, where he held talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was his first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war. During the meeting, Orban called the war an invasion of Russia, but asked Zelenskyy for a ceasefire.
- Already on July 5, Orban came to Moscow and met with the leader of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. One of the key topics of the meeting was the Russian Federationʼs war against Ukraine and its "peaceful settlement". On July 8, Orban came to China as part of his "peace mission". Zelenskyy noted that Orban cannot be a mediator in the issue of ending the war.
- The leadership of the European Union criticizes Viktor Orbán for the fact that he did not coordinate his visits to Russia and China, and therefore could not represent the EUʼs position there. Some EU officials have discussed in private conversations the possibility of depriving Hungary of the presidency of the Council of the EU on a rotating basis.
- The European Commission has already canceled the traditional visit to Budapest. The Financial Times wrote that the EU is discussing the possibility of depriving Hungary of its presidency in the bloc, but the vice-president of the European Commission says that this cannot be done.