Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has reportedly told the EU Council in a letter that a recent UN resolution signals a “new phase” in the Ukraine conflict.
According to the Financial Times, Viktor Orban has called on the EU to immediately begin direct talks with Russia to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine. The report cites a letter Orban allegedly sent to Brussels.
Since the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022, Budapest has consistently criticized the EU’s provision of weapons to Kiev and has advocated for the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
The FT’s Saturday article, referencing the purported letter to EU Council President Antonio Costa, stated that Orban demanded the bloc initiate “direct discussions with Russia on a ceasefire.”
The British newspaper also quoted Orban as saying that “it has become evident that there are strategic differences in our approach to Ukraine that cannot be bridged by drafting or communication.” The FT interpreted this as a sign that Hungary would block any EU agreement unless its call was heeded.
The Hungarian leader reportedly pointed to the US-drafted UN Security Council resolution adopted on Monday, which Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, praised as a “starting point for future efforts towards peaceful settlement.”
The resolution calls for a “swift end” to the Ukraine conflict, while avoiding direct condemnation of Russia. The 15-member council passed the resolution with a 10-0 vote, with France, the UK, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstaining.
According to the FT, Orban’s letter to Costa stated that the resolution “signals a new phase in the history of the [Ukraine] conflict and renders all previous agreed language by the European Council irrelevant.”
The Hungarian prime minister’s message reportedly comes before an EU summit next week, which the FT says is expected to focus on further military aid for Ukraine.
In a Friday interview with Hungary’s Kossuth Radio, Orban downplayed Ukraine’s EU ambitions, stating that while Budapest doesn’t oppose accession in principle, “here and now, this is unthinkable.”
He contended that Ukraine’s current admission “would destroy Hungarian farmers… and subsequently the entire Hungarian national economy.”
“I also don’t see clearly how we will curb the crime that would inevitably flood into Hungary along with it,” the prime minister added.
During his annual state of the nation address in Budapest last week, Orban predicted that Ukraine would also not be admitted into NATO, but would instead “once again be a buffer zone” between NATO and Russia after the conflict ends. He also stated that the “European and American liberals” had miscalculated by thinking Russia wouldn’t react to attempts to bring Kiev into NATO.