The plan is based on the results of the Hungarian leader’s recent visits to Kiev and Moscow, political adviser Balazs Orban has said
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has presented proposals to EU leaders on how to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, according to the newspaper Magyar Nemzet, citing the PM’s political adviser Balazs Orban. These proposals are reportedly based on the outcomes of the premier’s contentious peace mission earlier this month, during which he visited Ukraine, Russia, and China.
Orban provided EU leaders with a detailed account of his visits and presented Budapest’s action plan, Balazs Orban (no relation) told the newspaper.
The adviser characterized Budapest’s proposals as being “based on a realistic assessment of the situation” and on setting “realistic goals,” without providing further details.
Balazs Orban asserted that there are “pro-war” political forces within the EU and that the bloc is following the lead of the current US administration, which, he claimed, desires the continuation of the conflict.
”If Europe wants peace and wants to have a decisive say in the settlement of the war [in Ukraine] and the end of the bloodshed, then the change of course must be worked out and implemented now,” the adviser stated.
Hungary is one of the few member states to criticize the bloc’s stance on the conflict. Budapest has refused to align with Brussels and send weapons to Kiev. It has also delayed financial aid to Ukraine. Viktor Orban’s recent visit to Moscow was condemned by senior EU figures, with Brussels seeking to distance itself from Orban’s efforts.
According to the prime minister’s adviser, external mediators, such as China and Türkiye, could be crucial in helping negotiate peace.
Hungary intends to leverage the six months of its rotating presidency of the EU, which began in July, to create conditions for peace talks. “If the union does not act now, it may not be able to act later,” Balazs Orban cautioned.
During his visit to Kiev, the Hungarian leader urged Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to agree to a ceasefire with Russia, a proposal the latter rejected.
President Putin has repeatedly insisted that the hostilities can only end if Ukraine fulfills several of Russia’s demands – including legally binding guarantees that Kiev will not pursue NATO membership, the withdrawal of troops from all of Donbass, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
Kiev, along with its Western supporters, have dismissed the proposal, characterizing it as an unacceptable ultimatum.