Hungarian Prime Minister announces increased chances of ceasefire in Ukraine
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reported on his visit to Russia to European Council President Charles Michel and EU leaders on increasing the chances of a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of peace talks, German news agency DPA reported on Tuesday, citing Orban's report.
“In his letter, the Hungarian Prime Minister told his European colleagues that, based on his talks with (Russian President) Putin, there are now more chances” for a ceasefire and the start of peace talks, DPA wrote. Mr. Orban called on the EU to take the lead in promoting a ceasefire in Ukraine.
“The US political leadership is limited due to the ongoing election campaign,” DPA quoted the Hungarian Prime Minister as saying.
The visit to Russia, which has drawn criticism from many EU representatives, was explained by Mr. Orban as the negative consequences of the armed conflict in Ukraine on the European economy. “The negative economic consequences of the war are putting a heavy burden on the daily lives of our people and on the competitiveness of the EU,” the head of the Hungarian government wrote in the letter.
Prime Minister Orban and his delegation arrived in Moscow on July 5 and met with President Putin. Meanwhile, Politico reported that the European Union could revoke Hungary's EU presidency after Prime Minister Orban's visit to Russia. Politico described Mr. Orban as "rogue" and suggested that EU ambassadors "could move from public condemnation to concrete actions to restrain" Budapest at the meeting on July 10.
Daniel Hegedus, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund think tank, argued that the EU “could remove the Hungarian presidency within weeks.” He outlined a series of steps that would allow Brussels to move the start of Poland’s presidency to September 1, cutting short Hungary’s term to “attach negative consequences to Orban’s behavior.”
