EU leaders and European heads of state have reacted to Viktor Orbán's visit to Moscow, and the NATO Secretary General has also spoken about the visit. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote on X that she does not think appeasement will stop Putin. "Only unity and determination will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine", she posted.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, issued a statement saying that Orban does not represent the EU in Moscow.
"Hungary is now the EU Member State serving the rotating presidency of the Council until 31 December 2024. That does not entail any external representation of the Union which is responsibility of the President of the European Council at the Head of State or Government level and of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at Ministerial level", the statement on the website of The Diplomatic Service of the European Union added.
Charles Michel, head of the European Council of Heads of State and Government, which has a similar name to the Council of Ministers but is a separate institution with a separate president, reminded everyone of virtually the same thing on Thursday, when the Hungarian Prime Minister's visit to Moscow was not yet confirmed.
Viktor Orbán himself said in his regular radio interview on Friday morning that Hungary has no mandate to "make peace" in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Despite this, the Hungarian Prime Minister posted a photo of his arrival in Moscow with the logo of the Hungarian EU Presidency on his Facebook page.
“We will serve as an important tool in making the first step towards peace”, Orbán was quoted as saying by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said that the question is in whose hands this tool is.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote about Orbán's visit that the European Council's foreign policy is represented by Charles Michel. "The EU position is clear: we condemn the aggressive war of Russia. Ukraine can count on our support," Scholz wrote.
At a press conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Viktor Orbán had been to Moscow before, and had informed NATO of his visit and that they had always discussed the matter after the meetings. The Secretary General said that Hungary had also announced its trip to Moscow in advance. Stoltenberg expects Orbán to report back on what he discussed at next week's NATO summit. "This is a natural thing between allies," he said.
"Of course, Viktor Orbán does not represent NATO in these negotiations, he represents his own country".
He recalled that a few weeks ago he had met the Hungarian Prime Minister in person, with whom he also discussed the war in Ukraine. "Hungary also accepts that Russia is responsible for this war and Russia can end this war by not attacking Ukraine any more." Stoltenberg also said that during his visit to Budapest, they had managed to find a solution whereby Hungary would not hinder support for Ukraine. He added that there were differences of opinion on how Ukraine should be supported.
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