Moscow after Kiev. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in the Russian capital and said he wanted to use his six-month EU presidency, which began on Monday, to push for a negotiated peace in Ukraine. The challenge to European leaders has already begun. Last Tuesday, Orban was in Kiev on his first mission since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. There, the Hungarian prime minister asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to consider a ceasefire. Kiev, however, said it was not ready to make concessions. The visit to Moscow is the first by a European leader since Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer traveled to the Russian capital in April 2022 and failed in his attempt to convince Putin to end the war.
“As I understand it, you also arrived in Moscow as the rotating president of the EU Council, and not just as a partner of the Russian Federation.” This is how Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the Kremlin. The Budapest leader, in turn, described the meeting in Moscow with his Russian counterpart as “special.” Putin said he expected an exchange of views on bilateral issues as well. Meanwhile, European leaders dismissed Orban’s trip. “I am ready to discuss with you” proposals for “a peaceful solution” to the Ukrainian crisis and “I hope you will inform me of your position, the position of the European partners,” the Kremlin chief said, according to RIA Novosti.
Source: IL Tempo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
