The European Union needs closer cooperation on markets and defence, but not on political issues such as migration, where large differences between countries make this impossible, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said today, quoted by Reuters , writes BTA.
"There are questions, even existential questions, to which we do not have common answers, these are war and peace, migration, gender, a work-based society, full employment,", Orbán said at a conference in Chernobio, Italy.
"If you force us to unite on issues on which we do not agree, you will destroy the European Union,", he warned.
Orban also said his visits to Kiev and Moscow earlier this year, which some EU partners criticized, led him to conclude that neither side had any intention of making peace or negotiating a ceasefire at the moment.
However, the Hungarian leader said that lines of communication must be opened on both sides if Europe wants to end the war in Ukraine.
Hungary, which has maintained close ties with Russia since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has been rotating EU presidency for six months since July.
After taking over the presidency, Orbán visited Kiev, then made surprise visits to Moscow and Beijing before attending the NATO summit in Washington. His self-proclaimed "peace mission" drew sharp criticism from some EU leaders, who distanced the bloc from his actions.
Orban, who supports Donald Trump's candidacy for the US presidency in the upcoming election, however, indicated today that peace will never be achieved unless the lines of communication are kept open with both Ukraine and Russia.
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Orbán also praised Trump's "deal-making approach" and stated that Europe will need to cooperate with the eastern part of the world to improve its economic competitiveness.
"Our interest is to cooperate well with the West, with the United States, and to cooperate economically as much as possible with the East, now with China and even with the Russians after the war and in the territories where there are no sanctions, I would suggest to cooperate even with the Russians," Orbán declared.
Hungary buys most of its gas and crude oil from Russia, and the Russian company "Rosatom" is building a nuclear power plant in the country, Reuters points out.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Italy this evening to take part in the economic forum "European House" in Chernobyl, in which Orban also participated, France Press reported. The Hungarian Prime Minister expressed hope to meet with Zelensky. "We have good relations," Orban assured journalists. "If there is no communication, there is no chance for peace," he pointed out.