European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday rebuked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday after he launched a self-styled Ukraine "peace mission" that included talks with Donald Trump and the leaders of Russia and China without EU backing, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
In the letter, Orban told his fellow leaders of the 27-nation bloc that Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, is ready to act "immediately" as a peace mediator in the Russian-Ukrainian war if elected in November.
Many European officials fear that Trump could reduce U.S. support for Ukraine and push Ukraine into peace talks "that would give Moscow a large part of Ukraine and spur Russian President Vladimir Putin to further military adventures," the newspaper writes.
Hungary, which has maintained close ties with Russia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, took over the six-month EU presidency earlier this month.
But in response to Orban's letter, Charles Michel, chairman of the EU's European Council of National Leaders, told the Hungarian prime minister that he had no EU mandate to negotiate the war.
"The alternating Presidency of the Council (of the EU) has no role in representing the Union in the international arena and has not received a mandate from the European Council to act on behalf of the Union," Michel Orban said in a letter seen by Reuters.
Michel, a former Belgian prime minister, also rejected Orban's claim that the EU was pursuing a "pro-war" policy in Ukraine.
"It's just the opposite," Michel wrote. - "Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the victim, exercising its legitimate right to self-defense.
In his response, Michel said that "no discussion on Ukraine can take place without Ukraine" and noted that the EU "has consistently sought to build broad international support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.
"The Union spares no effort to reach out to all partners in this regard, including China," Michel added.
Addendum
Nationalist leader Orbán, a longtime Trump supporter, made surprise visits to Moscow and Beijing after his trip to Kyiv, before attending the NATO summit in Washington last week and holding talks with Trump in Florida.
Orban's actions have caused outrage among many governments and EU officials.
The European Commission on Monday took an unprecedented step by banning EU commissioners from attending meetings held in Hungary during the country's EU presidency.
Some EU governments are also planning to send only senior civil servants to ministerial meetings in Hungary, not ministers, and 63 MEPs have asked the EU to suspend Budapest's voting rights in the bloc.