Hungary Seeks Peace between Russia and Ukraine (Slovakia)
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary met President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation in Moscow.
Orbán seeks to build bridges between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. This concerns the ongoing war.
Orbán said peace was impossible to obtain “from a comfortable armchair in Brussels… We cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end.”
The leader of Hungary also focused on the economic ramifications of the brutal war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
Orbán said, “This war is also reflected in the destruction of our economic development and the decline of our competitiveness. In short, I told President (Putin) that Europe needs peace.”
AP reports, “Orban’s visit comes only days after he made a similar unannounced trip to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and proposed that Ukraine consider agreeing to an immediate cease-fire with Russia.”
Hungary currently holds the rotating (six-month) presidency of the EU Council. Accordingly, the leader of Hungary seeks a way to end the conflict.
Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia (who recently survived a brutal assassination attempt) said, “I want to express my admiration for the Hungarian prime minister for not hesitating to visit Kyiv and Moscow. If my health allowed me to travel, I would gladly have joined him.”
The non-European Union nation of Serbia also supports peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. However, the European Union and NATO nations seek to bully European nations into conformity.
This equates to an anti-Russian Federation approach and only seeking a military victory for Ukraine.
Orbán – understanding the difficulties – said, “A lot of steps have to be taken to get closer to a resolution of the war. Still, we’ve already taken the most important step – establishing the contact, and I will continue to work on this in the future.”
The European Union and various nations within this grouping condemned the leader of Hungary for “appeasement.”
Charles Michel (President of the European Council) said, “The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine.”
Ukraine condemned the visit of Orbán to the Russian Federation.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said, “For our country, the principle of ‘no agreements on Ukraine without Ukraine’ remains inviolable and we call on all states to strictly adhere to it.”
The BBC reports, “Ahead of Ukraine’s offensive last summer, Mr Orban warned that Ukraine cannot win on the battlefield.”
It is hoped that honest brokers (Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia) can break the impasse between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. If not, the conflict will continue with never-ending deaths.
Orbán is seeking a fresh impetus – despite the enormous differences between opposing sides in the conflict.
Ukraine is also worried about the possible victory of Donald Trump in America.
It is easy for the European Union and NATO nations to condemn Orbán. However, Ukraine can’t win the conflict under the prevailing conditions – and Putin isn’t interested in “a frozen conflict.” Therefore, peace – however imperfect – is an option that needs to be taken seriously by all concerned parties.
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