The beginning of the rotating presidency of the EU Viktor Orbán was not known for its wait-and-see attitude. The Hungarian Prime Minister surprisingly paid a visit to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to propose a mediation that will put an end to the conflict in Ukraine. But not only that. The Fidesz leader will fly to Moscow today to meet the Russian president Vladimir Putinbecoming the first European leader to visit the Kremlin’s number one since the outbreak of the war. But Orban’s move has sparked an uproar in Brussels, with the outgoing president of the European Council accusing him Charles Michel: “The rotating EU presidency has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU. The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussion on Ukraine can take place without Ukraine.”
Orban will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto but the real news is linked to the concrete attempt to reach a cease-fire between Moscow and Kiev. The Hungarian number one stood out among the EU and NATO leaders for his reluctance to sign massive Western arms and aid packages for Ukrainepositioning itself as a neutral actor. Of course, the road is uphill: Zelensky rejected the mediation proposal, while Putin had stated that Russia would end the war only if Kiev met certain conditions. These include the renunciation of NATO ambitions and the cession of four partially occupied regions that Russia claims in their entirety, in addition to Crimea. In short, there is a lot of work to do.
It is difficult, almost impossible to achieve white smoke in the next few hours, but Orban’s attempt to make progress after more than two years of war is certainly positive. Standing there threatening Putin without dialogue to silence the machine guns is uselessif not counterproductive. Of course, the lack of support from the EU risks crippling Orban’s mission before it even begins, but a frank face-to-face meeting between two former allies who remain on good terms can still begin to pave a path.
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