Viktor Orbán presented his visit to Moscow as a "peacemaking mission" . But his meeting with Putin seems more than puzzling. It throws Hungary into even greater international isolation and brings the country only negatives.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has again called for efforts to find a peaceful solution to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Orban made a surprise visit to Moscow to meet the Kremlin chief in person. His visit was accompanied by sharp criticism from the EU, ARD notes in its publication on the subject.
The positions of Moscow and Kiev, however, remain radically opposite. "Many steps must be taken to get closer to the end of the war," the Hungarian prime minister said, adding that with the trip he had taken an important step towards achieving this goal - contact had already been established and Orbán wanted to continue on this road.
Putin used the occasion to reaffirm his position that Ukraine should give up the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian troops. And even more specifically: all Ukrainian units were to be completely withdrawn from the so-called People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as from the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
Anger in Brussels
Even before the visit, many EU representatives stressed that Orbán does not have any official mandate for negotiations with Russia. ARD recalls that Hungary took over the presidency of the EU on July 1st.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaia Kalas, who is about to take up the Community's top diplomatic post, accused Orban of using the EU presidency to sow trouble. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Orbán had informed him in advance of his visit - but he did not represent the Alliance in Moscow.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen made it clear that she sees Orbán's unilateral actions as a threat to trust in the EU. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized that Orbán went to Putin in his capacity as Hungarian Prime Minister, not as a foreign policy representative of the EU.
Among the EU heads of government, Viktor Orbán is the only one who still maintains good relations with Vladimir Putin, ARD points out. In the last ten years, the two have met 11 times - the last time was last fall in China. Orban has always spoken out against European aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, the German public-law media recalls.
There was no coordination with Kyiv
Putin has consistently praised Orbán as a politician who puts his country's interests first and does not let Western state leaders dictate to him. In addition, Hungary continues to receive relatively cheap gas from Russia.
Before visiting Moscow, the Hungarian Prime Minister was in Kiev - again on an unannounced visit. There he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to consider an immediate truce with the Russian aggressors.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reported that Orban made his decision to visit Moscow without consulting Kiev. All countries should strictly adhere to the principle “no agreement on Ukraine without Ukraine", states the position of the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv.
The visit is a trump card for Kremlin propagandists
Viktor Orbán has already proven more than once that he “will use every opportunity given to him to demonstrate his credentials as a statesman" in the European arena, the associate of the Slovakian analytical center Globsec Roger Hilton told DV. He suggests that Orbán could justify his actions by saying that he has a special relationship with Putin and that as the leader of the country holding the EU presidency, he can contribute to peace between Kiev and Moscow, albeit to the benefit of Russia. "At the same time, Orbán's decision to ignore the relevant diplomatic protocol was met with joy in the Kremlin," the expert points out.
Austrian political scientist Gerhard Mangot also notes that for Moscow the visit of the Hungarian prime minister is profitable if only because, even if Orbán tries to present it as bilateral, it is impossible to prevent propagandists from labeling Orbán as EU president .
Orbán's goals may be bigger
The intentions of the Hungarian Prime Minister may be much greater than trying to reconcile Kiev and Moscow at all costs, Ukrainian political scientist Serhiy Gerasimchuk told DV.
„On the global chessboard, Orban is playing for Donald Trump. By maintaining contact with Putin, with Xi Jinping and with Zelensky, Orbán demonstrates that he can help the likely next US president by providing a platform for dialogue on the Ukrainian issue," the expert explains.
At the same time, according to Gerasimchuk, on the European chessboard, Orbán's visits to Kiev and Moscow were a “advertising move to draw attention to himself as a bright leader of the right-wing forces who could become an alternative to Meloni, Kaczynski and Morawiecki from on the one hand, and Le Pen on the other".