Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that he is on a "fact-finding" mission and is not negotiating on behalf of the European Union over the war in Ukraine, even though the bloc has warned him not to visit Moscow, UNN reports citing Bloomberg.
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Orban has not directly confirmed that he is planning a trip on Friday, but Russia is preparing for the Hungarian leader's visit, a person familiar with the matter said.
Орбан завтра поїде до путіна у москву після зустрічі із Зеленським - ЗМІ04.07.24, 19:21
European Council President Charles Michel warned Orban on Thursday evening that he could not negotiate with Russia as EU presidency. This came after several reports that the prime minister would stop in Russia on his way to Azerbaijan, where he will attend a meeting of Turkic states.
"The rotating EU presidency does not have a mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU," Michel said in a statement to X. He issued the public appeal after being unable to reach Hungarian officials or confirm the trip, according to another person familiar with the situation.
Michel would advise Orban not to visit Moscow if asked, the second person added.
In a radio address on Friday, Orban said that he does not represent the EU in international negotiations on Ukraine, and these conversations cannot be considered official talks. Instead, he wants to study the "red lines" of the two sides of the conflict, Orban said.
On Tuesday, Hungary's prime minister made a ceasefire proposal at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his first visit to Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Орбан попросив Зеленського подумати про припинення вогню й почати перемовини02.07.24, 15:12
In an interview on Wednesday, Zelenskiy, according to Bloomberg, "rejected the idea on the grounds that it would only serve Russia without guaranteeing Ukraine's security.
"The prime minister knows that he negotiated with Mr. Zelenskiy on his own behalf (and that) he had no right to speak on behalf of the (EU) Council," Orban's spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said in Budapest, as quoted by Politico. However, Orban immediately sent a report on his trip to Ukraine to the EU Council, demonstrating his "room for maneuver," said Orban's political strategist.
EU diplomats, as Bloomberg points out , were concerned that Orban, who had already met with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his invasion of Ukraine, would use his country's EU presidency to undermine the bloc's efforts to punish and isolate Moscow.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo echoed Michel's warning, saying in a post on X that such a trip "would demonstrate a disregard for the responsibilities of the EU presidency and undermine the interests of the European Union.
"During this presidency, the question will always arise whether Orban speaks for himself or for the EU," one EU diplomat was quoted as saying by the FT.
Orban's trip to Moscow, according to the FT, will be followed by a visit to Azerbaijan on another peacekeeping mission: to discuss the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
As the FT points out, this visit will also take place against the backdrop of intense discussions among EU countries to secure more Azerbaijani gas supplies amid fears that the bloc may not have enough gas. The remaining Russian gas supplies through Ukraine are due to stop at the end of this year.
Brussels says that since gas storage levels are at a record high for this time of year, EU member states will be able to easily survive the next two winters.
But the eastern capitals are not as optimistic as the European Commission that the bloc can do without these volumes, the FT notes . "If there is a harsh winter or demand in Asia recovers, it could lead to a critical situation," said another EU diplomat.