‘History remembers politicians who claimed to be working for a just peace, but were in fact advocating for surrender. And such politicians have gone down in history as examples of disgrace.’
– this is how Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described Viktor Orbán's visit to Moscow on Monday, which the Hungarian leader had dubbed a peace mission. Tusk also stressed that there were no secret peace talks going on with the Kremlin.
It was after signing a security agreement with Ukraine that the Polish politician gave his views on Viktor Orbán's diplomatic stunt, which saw him use Hungary's EU presidency to visit Kyiv and then meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, having kept his trip secret until the last minute.
The other participant in the signing ceremony, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, addressed the Hungarian Prime Minister directly and gave his views on Orbán's visit to Moscow as the EU's self-proclaimed representative, which caused a huge outcry both in the EU and in NATO circles:
‘My message to Viktor Orbán is that he has no right to do anything on behalf of Ukraine or Europe without consulting those concerned.’
The Ukrainian President said that when Orbán visited Kyiv last week, he did not tell him that he was preparing to go to Moscow. Zelensky then asked the question, "Can Orbán ever become a mediator between Ukraine and Russia?", to which he replied with a resounding "no", as he does not consider Hungary strong enough to play such a mediatory role.
In addition to his comments on the Hungarian PM OrbÁn, Tusk said in his speech that we are all aware that if this war ends badly, it will be a defeat not only for Ukraine, but also for Poland, Europe and the whole Western world (...) Those who defend Ukraine are defending themselves, he concluded.
For more quick, accurate and impartial news from and about Hungary, subscribe to the Telex English newsletter!