Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has reportedly annoyed EU hawks because he exposed how “false” their claim that “you cannot negotiate with Putin” is, said FOCUS Online Chief Correspondent Ulrich Reitz.
By flying over to Russia on a solo mission to meet with President Vladimir Putin, Orban proved that it is only “natural and obvious that you can talk to Putin,” noted Reitz in his video column "Reitz-Thema."
People like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen or German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are said to be fuming, after the EU laboriously cobbled together “a single strategy, which states: there is no alternative to military support for Ukraine,” remarked the journalist. The EU strategy comes after pressure from the US, as the leader of NATO, he continued.
However, Orban’s spontaneous trip threw a spanner in the works of the EU. The position of the German government or von der Leyen “has not brought us a millimeter closer to peace so far,” Reitz pointed out, adding that Orban’s effort was “worth a try.”
The EU and Scholz have emphasized that Orban had no mandate for the trip, but the Hungarian PM never claimed that he was on anything but a personal mission, noted the author.
“He is only doing what he announced two years ago. At that time, Viktor Orban offered himself up as a mediator to the European Union,” said Reitz, adding that Hungary is closer to Russia than the Western European states.
Reitz finds the EU’s criticism of Orban’s trip unfathomable, underscoring that a seasoned European head of government in his fifth term, who is also “listened to in Russia,” could “bring us a step closer to peace.”
Orban, who is viewed as “the black sheep of the EU,” pursues a “realpolitik approach with his peace mission,” remarked Reitz, adding:
“Trying to get closer to peace […] is not something I can find reprehensible.”
Orban's Russia trip reportedly triggered an outcry among European Union leaders who warned against "appeasing" Moscow and stated that the Hungarian PM did not speak for the EU.
“The European Council is represented by Charles Michel in terms of foreign policy — and not Hungary,” Scholz said, referring to the European Council president.
Orban, whose country has just taken over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, was the first EU leader to visit Moscow since April 2022. Orban described his visit to Moscow to speak with Russia's president on Friday as a continuation of his "peace mission" after a visit to Kiev, which took place on Tuesday. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in various areas, as well as key international issues, including the Ukraine conflict.
Orban stated that he asked Putin's opinion concerning other countries' peace proposals, the possibility of a ceasefire prior to peace talks and what Europe's security architecture might look like in the future.
"He [Putin] said that it is obvious that real negotiations cannot happen without the involvement of both parties. So whatever they are doing without him, it means nothing. Which is quite logical anyway," Orban said.
The Hungarian PM teased several upcoming meetings next week that would be "equally surprising" as his recent talks with Putin.