Hungary's PM Orban and Russia's President Putin Hold a press conference 5th July 2024

Hungary for peace: The press conference between the two leaders took place after today's meeting in Moscow.

PM Orban defied EU officials with the meeting with President Putin on July 5th 2024

The Hungarian prime minister was in Russia, days after he visited Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has begun a surprise visit to Russia, his office has confirmed. His trip comes days after he traveled to Kiev to urge Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to consider an immediate ceasefire with Moscow and begin peace talks.

While Hungary holds the rotating EU presidency, Orban’s visit to Russia for talks has sparked sharp criticism from senior bloc officials, despite the prime minister insisting earlier in the day that he is not representing the union. Below is a schedule of events as they happened

05 July 2024

15:00 GMT
There has been no progress in moving towards peace negotiations on the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, noting Kiev’s unwillingness to enter talks.

“(President Putin) said that there is no progress yet. We have repeatedly said that so far there is no discernible desire on Kiev’s part to negotiate. On the contrary, there is a reluctance to negotiate,” Peskov told reporters following Putin’s meeting with Orban.

14:12 GMT
Orban declined to reveal the content of his discussions with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, but said he conveyed to Putin his impressions from the visit to Kiev.

The media briefing is now over.

14:09 GMT
Orban said he wanted to hear directly from Putin how Russia perceives various peace initiatives, calling it an important step, even though the frank discussion confirmed that there was a major rift between the conflicting sides.

14:04 GMT
Russia wants a full resolution of the conflict, not its freezing, which would allow Kiev to rearm and rebuild its military again, Putin has said.

Russia’s relations with the EU are at their lowest level in decades, the Russian leader has said. As Hungary holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, Orban and Putin discussed this aspect of tensions between Russia and the West, he added.

14:01 GMT
Putin has said that judging by Orban’s account, Kiev intends to fight with Russia to the end, and is not prepared to drop that stance.

Peace would require an end of martial law and an election in Ukraine, which the country’s current leadership would definitely lose, the Russian president added.

14:00 GMT
Putin and Orban are speaking to the media after their meeting in Moscow.

13:51 GMT
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed that Orban’s visit to Russia has nothing to do with the EU, and that the bloc’s position on the conflict remains unchanged.
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Tweet by : Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz
@Bundeskanzler
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Viktor #Orbán is visiting Putin as Hungarian Prime Minister. In foreign policy, the European Council is represented by Charles Michel.
The EU's position is very clear: we condemn the Russian war of aggression. Ukraine can rely on our support.
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13:30 GMT
The talks between Putin and Orban have concluded, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has announced. The two leaders are expected to deliver a joint statement for the press soon.

13:20 GMT
The Ukraine crisis was one of the priorities in the “earnest discussions” between Putin and Orban, according to Yury Ushakov, a senior aide to the Russian president. The Hungarian leader did not pass any messages from Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky during the talks, the official told journalists.

12:57 GMT
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has said Orban did not give Kiev prior warning of his visit to Russia. The ministry stressed that the lack of coordination clashes with Ukraine’s insistence that no negotiations on the conflict should take place without Kiev.

The Ukrainian leadership has claimed that its “peace formula,” discussed at a summit in Switzerland last month, is “the only realistic way to restore just peace.”

Moscow was not invited to the international gathering and has denounced it as a scheme by the West and Ukraine to deceive neutral nations into expressing support for a proposal that has no chance of being implemented.

12:38 GMT
Orban informed NATO about his intention to visit Moscow before going there, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed. When he attends the summit of leaders of the US-led military bloc in Washington next week, he will have an opportunity to discuss it with other guests of the summit, the NATO chief told journalists.

”This is what happens on a regular basis between allies,” Stoltenberg claimed, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The senior official declined, nonetheless, to comment on Ursula von der Leyen’s description of the visit as “appeasement.” He has said that he expected Budapest to subscribe to “strong language” condemning Russia that will come out of next week’s NATO gathering.

Stoltenberg acknowledged that Hungary is not on the same page as many other members of the organization regarding the arming of Ukraine, but added that the “good news” was that he and Orban had found a format for backing Kiev that suits Budapest.

12:11 GMT
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who is slated to become the EU’s next foreign policy and security chief, has joined the chorus of Western officials lashing out at Orban. The Hungarian prime minister intends to “sow confusion” she has claimed.
https://x.com/kajakallas/status/1809173839072407554

Tweet from : Kaja Kallas
@kajakallas

In Moscow, Viktor Orbán in no way represents the EU or the EU’s positions. He is exploiting the EU presidency position to sow confusion.

The EU is united, clearly behind Ukraine and against Russian aggression.

12:10 GMT
After Orban and Putin exchanged greetings, the Hungarian leader’s Facebook account published several pictures of him meeting his counterpart. “Peace must be made,” the post read.

12:03 GMT
Budapest contacted Moscow about a possible visit by the prime minister “literally the day before yesterday,” Peskov has told Russian media.

12:02 GMT
While Orban’s visit stands out, other senior officials from nations allied with the US have traveled to Russia since hostilities with Ukraine started in February 2022. Naftali Bennett, then-prime minister of Israel, did so in March that year, while Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer visited in April and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited Moscow the same month.

11:26 GMT
Closed-door negotiations between Putin and Orban will last “as long as it takes,” Peskov has told the media. He has said that the leaders will need at least two to three hours for the discussion.

11:19 GMT
Orban also previously argued that the leaders of the EU nations could achieve a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict “within 24 hours,” if they were willing to leverage their military aid to put pressure on Kiev. A change of policy would also be required in Washington for that to happen, he said.

Orban is a vocal supporter of former US President Donald Trump, who repeatedly claimed on his current election trail that he could stop the hostilities in a day with a few phone calls.

11:15 GMT
Putin has told Orban that he presented his vision of how the conflict can be resolved in a keynote speech at the Foreign Ministry last month and is prepared to discuss its nuances.

The proposal he was referring to was to suspend hostilities immediately after Kiev renounces its bid to join NATO and orders its troops to pull back from all territories claimed by Moscow. Then a comprehensive discussion of a new security architecture in Europe could be held, Putin suggested.

The Ukrainian government has rejected the offer.

10:46 GMT
Hungary may well soon become the only country in Europe that is maintaining a dialogue with both Kiev and Moscow, Orban said as Putin welcomed him.

In his previous public remarks, Orban expressed concern that Western determination to escalate the Ukraine conflict may result in a direct clash with Russia, which could have catastrophic consequences for everyone involved.

As an example, he contrasted the policies of incumbent German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the approach of his predecessor, Angela Merkel, who worked hard to contain Western tensions with Russia over Ukraine.

05 July 2024

10:32 GMT
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has accused Orban of “appeasement” with regards to Putin. She claimed: “Only unity and determination will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

10:31 GMT
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that talks between Putin and Orban will take place later in the day and that the Ukraine conflict is on the agenda.

10:29 GMT
Orban’s last visit to Russia was in 2022, when he attended the funeral of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

However, he has had more recent encounters with President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of international events hosted by third nations, such as China.

10:23 GMT
Orban visited Kiev earlier in the week, where he urged Vladimir Zelensky to seek peace with Russia, arguing that a ceasefire could serve as a first step in the right direction. The Ukrainian leader didn’t take his proposal well, he said later. Kiev insists that only a military victory will result in a “just peace.”

10:22 GMT

PM Orban tweeted https://x.com/PM_ViktorOrban/status/1809163540256698510

The #peace mission continues. Second stop: #Moscow.
10:52 AM · Jul 5, 2024
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10:19 GMT
The Orban government has been at odds with Western opinion on the Ukraine conflict and ways to resolve it. The US and its allies claim that their only option is to arm Ukraine for “as long as it takes” to defeat Moscow, while trying to cripple the Russian economy with sanctions.

Budapest has argued that the economic restrictions have hurt EU nations more than Russia and have failed to compel Moscow to capitulate. Some of Kiev's staunchest backers have accused Orban of serving Russian interests.

Hungary maintains close ties with Russia in the energy sphere. Among other things, Russian nuclear specialists are building a nuclear power plant in the country.

10:12 GMT
“You cannot make peace from a comfortable armchair in Brussels,” Orban stressed on social media. “We cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end.”

10:11 GMT
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a vocal supporter of Kiev, lashed out at Orban after rumors of his pending visit started circulating in the media on Thursday. Tusk claimed he could not believe such a visit could take place.

During his weekly interview on Radio Kossuth on Friday, Orban said he wanted to promote peace – a task for which no mandate was needed, in his opinion – and by doing that serve as “a tool in the hands of God.”

10:04 GMT
Orban’s visit is taking place “in the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia,” the EU’s press service has stressed in a statement. Orban “has not received any mandate from the EU Council to visit Moscow,” and the economic bloc maintains its current stance on the Ukraine conflict, it said.

“That position excludes official contacts between the EU and President Putin. The Hungarian prime minister is thus not representing the EU in any form,” it stressed.
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I don’t need a mandate to promote peace – Orban 5 Jul, 2024 07:06

The Hungarian prime minister has been chastised by the EU’s Charles Michel over rumored plans for a Moscow trip

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has defended his peacemaking efforts after a senior EU official criticized his purported plans to travel to Russia.

Orban, who visited Kiev earlier this week and urged Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to consider an immediate ceasefire, will pay a visit to the Russian capital on Friday, media reports have speculated.

European Council President Charles Michel condemned the purported trip, claiming in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday that despite holding the rotating EU presidency, Hungary “has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU.”

“The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine,” the senior bureaucrat added.

During his weekly interview with Radio Kossuth on Friday morning, Orban rejected the notion that he should not vie for peace.

“What I do looks like negotiations in format, because we sit at tables and discuss issues, but we don’t negotiate,” he explained. “That’s why I don’t even need a mandate, because I don’t represent any party.”

Hungary is aware of its relatively limited political clout and expects larger powers to eventually hold peace talks to end the Ukraine conflict, he said.

“But we can be a good tool in the hands of God, we can be a good tool in the hands of people who want peace,” the prime minister added.

The Hungarian leader said opinion polls showing support among EU citizens for continued backing of Kiev do not correctly reflect their attitudes. Everyday people are worried about the economic cost of the conflict because EU taxpayers’ money is being spent on Ukraine, he argued.

Orban neither confirmed nor denied plans for a Moscow visit during the interview. Another pro-Kiev politician, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, previously expressed disbelief that the Hungarian leader could make the trip.

“The rumours about your visit to Moscow cannot be true @PM_ViktorOrban, or can they?” he asked in an X post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Kiev a ceasefire in exchange for Ukraine renouncing its bid for NATO membership and withdrawing its troops from Russian territory that it lays claim to. Kiev has insisted it will not accept any outcome in which it does not control all the land it considers Ukrainian.
https://www.rt.com/news/600471-orban-peace-ukraine-mandate/
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