Orban sends letter to EU about Putin’s "peace for Ukraine" after visit to Russia

After his visit to Russia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote to European Council President Charles Michel and EU leaders describing his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to European Pravda.

In the letter, the Hungarian prime minister assures that during his visit, he "did not put forward any proposals or express any opinion on behalf of the European Council or the European Union", and that the opposite claims are "groundless".

Speaking about his conversation with Putin, Orban said that the Russian president's attitude to the situation on the front line "differs significantly from President Zelenskyy's interpretation".

"Putin made no mention of Russian losses. As for Ukrainian casualties, the Russian side estimates the monthly losses of Ukrainian forces at 40-50,000 soldiers, which have increased even more in recent weeks. Therefore, (Putin - Ed.) was surprised that the Ukrainian president rejected the proposal for a temporary ceasefire," he said. At the same time, the letter says, Putin is ready to consider a possible truce that "will not serve the covert redeployment and reorganisation of Ukrainian forces."

Read more: Orban: Putin is not interested in ceasefire in Ukraine to create preconditions for peace talks

The Hungarian prime minister added that Russia (according to Putin) was ready to agree only to the conditions set during the talks in Istanbul in April 2022, "especially the fifth paragraph of the document, which defines the international security guarantees that should be provided to Ukraine". This refers to the veto right of the so-called guarantors of Ukraine's security over the possible use of force against it, and Russia wanted to see itself among these guarantors.

Moscow also said it was "ready to exchange views" on the so-called peace proposal by China and Brazil. This "proposal" envisages "peace talks" between Ukraine and Russia and does not mention the need to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Orban devoted the rest of the letter to reiterating his thesis that "Europe needs peace" for economic prosperity, and that the chances of peace are diminishing "because diplomatic channels are blocked and there is no direct dialogue between the parties".

Time is of the essence in light of the intensification of hostilities and the rapid increase in casualties. If we fail to stop this process, in the next two months we will witness more dramatic losses and military events on the frontline than ever before," Orbán said.

Read more: Orban in Moscow: "Positions of Ukraine and Russia are far from each other"

In conclusion, the Hungarian prime minister said that the United States would not be able to show "political leadership" on this issue in the coming months due to the election campaign, so it is necessary to consider launching a "European initiative" in the spirit of "strategic autonomy".

Orban's visit to Moscow

On 5 July, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban paid an official visit to Moscow. In the Russian capital, he met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

During a joint press conference with Putin, Orban made several statements about Russia's war against Ukraine. In particular, he stressed that Kyiv and Moscow's positions on peace are "very far apart".

In turn, a number of European leaders reacted rather sharply to the Hungarian prime minister's visit to Moscow. They stressed that Orban did not represent the EU in Russia during his meeting with Putin.

Before his visit to Moscow, Orban visited Kyiv. On 2 July, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During his visit to Kyiv, Orban proposed a ceasefire.

On 3 July, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not support his proposal for a ceasefire for talks with Russia.