nl flag go to the original language article
This article has been translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The news agency is not responsible for the content of the translated article. The original was published by Belga.

European leaders react negatively to Orban’s visit to Moscow

by AI | 05.Jul 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in the Russian capital Moscow on Friday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. This was confirmed by his spokesman. Reactions in European circles are unanimously negative.

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a European summit in Brussels (Photo Miguel MEDINA / AFP)

The rumor that Orban would travel to Moscow on Friday was already circulating since Thursday evening. Hungary has held the temporary presidency of the Council of the European Union since 1 July, but that does not mean that Orban would have a mandate to speak to Putin on behalf of the EU, European Council President Charles Michel immediately warned. Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine in 2022, Putin has become infrequentable for European leaders.

Nevertheless, Orban has indeed now arrived in Moscow. The visit is part of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s “peace mission,” his spokesman Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X, above a photo of a handshake between Orban and Putin. Earlier this week, Orban already visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. “The peace mission continues. Second stop: Moscow,” Orban himself declared.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen immediately responded dismissively. “Reconciliation will not stop Putin. Only unity and determination will pave the way to comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace in Ukraine,” she also said on X. According to Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, the meeting can only be seen in the context of bilateral relations between Budapest and Moscow.