“He has no mandate to negotiate with Putin”

In his first week at the head of the EU Council, Orbán has challenged the rest of the partners by travelling to Moscow to meet with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in a supposed “peace mission”“A visit that contradicts the position of unconditional support for Ukraine, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintained by the other 26 Member States. Orbán did not inform the EU of his intentions, but he did inform NATO.

Despite the cascade of prior warnings Even before the visit was confirmed, EU leaders have been unable to dissuade Hungary’s prime minister from meeting Putin. So their strategy has focused on limiting the damage and making it clear that Orbán does not represent anyone in the Union despite holding the rotating presidency.

[Alarma en la UE por la visita de Viktor Orbán a Putin al inicio de la presidencia húngara]

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visits Moscow: Appeasement will not stop Putin“Only unity and determination will pave the way to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” said the Commission President, Ursula von der LeyenAs a sign of her discomfort, Von der Leyen postponed the traditional trip of the College of Commissioners to Hungary for the start of the presidency until after the summer and is now considering cancelling it definitively.

“In Moscow, Viktor Orbán in no way represents the EU or its positions. He is Taking advantage of the EU presidency position to sow confusion. The EU is united, clearly behind Ukraine and against Russian aggression,” The Prime Minister of Estonia has denounced, Kaja Kallaswho has just been elected as the future High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

In a forceful official statement, the head of community diplomacy, Josep Borrellhas made it clear that “Prime Minister Orbán has not received any mandate from the EU Council to visit Moscow.” The meeting with Putin “is taking place exclusively within the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia.” The Hungarian EU presidency “does not imply any external representation of the Union,” he stressed.

“The EU’s position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is reflected in many conclusions of the European Council. That position excludes official contacts between the EU and President Putin“Therefore, the Hungarian Prime Minister does not represent the EU in any way,” Borrell insisted.

“In addition, it is worth remembering that the president Putin has been indicted by the International Criminal Court and an arrest warrant has been issued for his role in connection with the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia,” the head of EU diplomacy said.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Orbán has been known for blocking or delaying, almost always on his own, successive packages of sanctions against Russia, as well as EU military aid to Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. In fact, Budapest is still blocking a total of 6.6 billion euros of military aid to Ukraine through the European Peace Facility.

The Hungarian Prime Minister is The only European leader who maintains contacts with Vladimir Putin, with whom he already met in Beijing in October 2023. A visit that already at that time sparked enormous controversy.

Before his visit to Moscow, Orbán met with the Ukrainian president in kyiv on Tuesday. It was his first visit to the country in more than a decade. In a joint appearance, Orbán called on Zelensky to declare a ceasefire to speed up peace negotiations with Moscow. “Zelensky was not very happy with the idea, but he understood Hungary’s position,” said one of the leading representatives of the radical right in the EU.

The Hungarian Prime Minister has announced that, as leader of the country holding the rotating EU presidency, he intends to prepare A report on “the possibility of peace” for the European Council.

“Peace cannot be made from a comfortable armchair in Brussels. Even if the rotating EU presidency has no mandate to negotiate on behalf of the EU, we cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end. We will be an important tool in taking the first steps towards peace. That is what our peace mission is about,” Orbán explained in an interview prior to his trip to Moscow.