Charles Michel warns Orbán that he cannot go to Moscow to speak on behalf of the EU
It is the first institutional clash. Just four days after the start of the Hungarian presidency of the European Union, the president of the European Council warns the Hungarian prime minister that he “has no mandate to dialogue with Russia on behalf of the EU”. The message was sent via the social network X, after news began to emerge that Viktor Orbán was preparing to go to Moscow this Friday to meet Vladimir Putin.
Why a message on social media? Because “there were numerous attempts” on Michel’s part to contact Orbán “and they were all unsuccessful”, a European source tells Expresso, adding that if the “prime minister had asked, President Michel would have advised him against visit” the Russian president.
Orbán did not answer Michel’s phone and, for now, the Hungarian EU presidency also does not confirm or comment on the news of the trip to Moscow, which is being reported by a Hungarian journalist from the Vsquare Project.
Communication between the tops of the two institutions – the European Council and the Council of the EU – is not working. The tweet not only denounces the failure of communication, but also shows concern about the intentions of a possible meeting between Orbán and Putin. â â The “tweet serves to remind that the EU’s rotating presidency has no mandate” from the rest to discuss with Russia”, highlights the same source. In X, Michel further writes that “The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No debate on Ukraine can take place without Ukraine”.
Two days ago, on Tuesday, Orbán was in Kiev for his first visit to the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war. A trip in which he asked Volodymir Zelensky to reflect on the possibility of reversing the order and accelerating peace talks, starting with a ceasefire.”
Hungary has systematically urged the rest to discuss the EU’s position on Ukraine, defending humanitarian aid to Kiev but refusing to participate in military aid which, from the point of seen from Budapest, contributes to the continuation of the conflict. The remaining European countries have always rejected this vision. The Hungarian Prime Minister was also against the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine, but ended up allowing them to move forward. Viktor Orban has so far been the only European leader to meet Putin since February 2022.
“The Prime Minister is committed to peace”, said Zoltán Kovács this morning, in Budapest, in a meeting with several European correspondents, in which Expresso also participated. The Hungarian minister for international communication argued that “continuing to give weapons only guarantees the continuation of a senseless bloodbath”. Asked about Hungary’s role, he responds that they can try to push for peace talks, but that the resolution of the war will be made by the USA and Russia.
“Don’t expect a medium-sized European member state to have a decisive voice on what is happening. We are trying to have a decisive voice to have a conversation about truces and talks of In fact, what I think is that it will not be the European Union that will say what will happen in Ukraine, it will be the Americans and the Russians”, said Kovács.
