Hungarian chief Viktor Orban visits Moscow, defying E.U. coverage

Even earlier than Orban’s aircraft touched down Friday, the journey drew sharp disavowals from Brussels.

Josep Borrell, the E.U.’s prime diplomat, preemptively famous that the Hungarian chief’s journey will not be official E.U. enterprise and “takes place completely within the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia.”

However with Hungary now holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, the journey represented a diplomatic triumph for Putin, who has repeatedly accused NATO nations, significantly the US, of prolonging the warfare he began. Putin has additionally blamed them for not forcing Ukraine to barter a give up of territory that Russia has seized by drive.

Greeting Orban on the Kremlin, Putin instantly pressured his visitor’s management position within the E.U.

“‘Welcome to Moscow, to Russia,” Putin mentioned. “I perceive that you’ve got come this time not solely as our long-standing companion, but additionally because the president of the European Council. I hope we may have the chance to alternate concepts on constructing bilateral relations on this tough scenario and, in fact, to speak in regards to the prospects for the event of the most important European disaster, I imply, on the Ukrainian observe.”

In a three-hour-long assembly behind closed doorways, the 2 leaders mentioned “the shortest path to peace,” Orban mentioned after the talks, in keeping with Russian state media. From Moscow’s perspective, that path sometimes means Ukraine ought to capitulate to Russia’s calls for to annex about one-fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.

Putin on Friday rehashed his calls for for ceasing hostilities, together with Ukraine’s give up of that territory, one thing that Ukrainian officers repeatedly deemed a non-starter. The Russian chief additionally took up a brand new line of assault, claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “reluctant” to cease preventing as a result of it might drive the nation to finish martial regulation and maintain presidential elections.

“For the authorities who’ve misplaced their rankings and legitimacy, the probabilities of successful them are near zero,” Putin mentioned. He provided no proof to help his evaluation of Ukrainian home politics. Latest polling has urged that Ukrainians broadly help the warfare effort and oppose giving in to Russia’s calls for — with practically 75 p.c believing that Ukraine will ultimately reach liberating its territories.

Orban mentioned his assembly with Putin occurred “at a time when Europe actually wants peace,” which “is not going to come by itself.”

Talking Thursday at a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Group in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Putin urged resuming negotiations that occurred in Istanbul in 2022 shortly after Russia’s invasion when Ukraine was in a perilously weak place.

These talks broke down after Russian forces retreated from their try to seize Kyiv, forsaking proof of atrocities in opposition to Ukrainian troopers and civilians in Bucha, Irpin and different suburbs of the Ukrainian capital. Putin on Thursday accused Britain and the US of directing Ukraine to finish the negotiations — a cost that U.S. and British officers deny.

The six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the E.U. sometimes includes convening conferences and overseeing legislative trivialities in Brussels, not shuttling between international capitals at warfare. However Orban, a right-wing chief who prides himself as a proponent of “intolerant democracy” and has lengthy clashed with different European leaders, is clearly intent on utilizing the position as a platform.

Orban has repeatedly damaged with different E.U. and NATO leaders by calling on Ukraine to think about making concessions to Russia, and he has refused to permit donated weapons to be transferred to Ukraine by way of Hungary, which shares an extended border with Ukraine. Orban additionally has repeatedly slow-rolled the E.U.’s efforts to help Kyiv and advance Ukraine’s software to hitch the bloc.

A spokesperson for Orban described Friday’s journey as a “peace mission” however didn’t supply different particulars on his objective or plans.

Earlier Friday, Orban sought to justify his journey, writing on X that you just “can not make peace from a cushty armchair in Brussels.”

“Even when the rotating EU-Presidency has no mandate to barter on behalf of the E.U., we can not sit again and look ahead to the warfare to miraculously finish,” he wrote. “We are going to function an essential software in making the primary steps towards peace.”

Borrell, in his assertion, pressured that Orban couldn’t communicate for the E.U.’s 26 different member nations. “The E.U. place on Russia’s warfare of aggression in opposition to Ukraine is mirrored in lots of European Council conclusions,” he mentioned. “That place excludes official contacts between the E.U. and President Putin. The Hungarian Prime Minister is thus not representing the E.U. in any type.”

When Orban visited Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday, there have been no such clarifications. As an alternative, the E.U. flag was positioned prominently behind him together with the Hungarian and Ukrainian flags.

Throughout the go to in Kyiv, Orban urged that Ukraine ought to comply with a cease-fire with Russia as a part of an effort to start negotiations to finish the preventing.

Zelensky has put ahead a 10-point peace plan that doesn’t embody agreeing to a cessation of hostilities whereas Russian troops are nonetheless occupying Ukraine.

The cease-fire proposal that Orban pitched would depart Moscow in command of roughly one-fifth of Ukraine, probably giving Moscow an opportunity to rearm and renew its efforts to grab extra territory. Russia first invaded and illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Eight years later, in February 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion looking for to seize Kyiv.

Quite a lot of European officers and leaders have dismissed the notion that Orban can play peacemaker, significantly on behalf of the E.U.

“The European Council is obvious,” Charles Michel, president of the European Council, posted Thursday. “Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the sufferer. No discussions about Ukraine can happen with out Ukraine.”

Orban, after assembly with Putin, acknowledged the tough of reaching a peace deal “We have to work for it,” he mentioned. “The positions are far aside.”

Ilyushina reported from Berlin. Serhii Korolchuk in Kyiv and Kate Brady in Berlin contributed to this report.