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Following his visit to Moscow, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has sent a letter to the President of the European Council Charles Michel and EU leaders, outlining the key takeaways of his talks with Vladimir Putin, European Pravda writes, citing a document at its disposal.
Orban claims he did not represent EU interests in Russia and recounts Russian propaganda talking points about the conflict in Ukraine, emphasizing the “significant losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” which Putin says are allegedly 40,000-50,000 people a month. According to the Hungarian prime minister, Ukraine's rejection of a ceasefire in such a setting “surprises” the Russian president.
According to Orban, Putin is willing to consider a truce provided Ukraine does not use it as a smokescreen for “covert redeployment and reorganization of forces.” The letter also mentions the terms negotiated in Istanbul in April 2022 and Russia's willingness to discuss the peace proposals of China and Brazil, neither of which addresses Ukraine's territorial integrity in any way.
Orban emphasizes the pertinence of peace talks for “Europe's economic well-being” and fears that intensified hostilities will result in significant damage. He believes that against the backdrop of the U.S. election campaign, the EU should take the matter of conflict resolution into its hands.
EU diplomats intend to discuss Orban's visit to Moscow and his peacemaking efforts at the next session of the Permanent Representatives Committee.
Orban visited Moscow on July 5 to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin. On July 2, the Hungarian prime minister visited Kyiv, where he attempted to persuade Volodymyr Zelensky to start peace talks with Russia.