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European Council President Charles Michel has reprimanded Viktor Orbán for his self-styled "peace mission", which has included holding talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jingpin and Donald Trump without EU backing. In a letter to Orbán Michel said the rotating Presidency of the Council, which Hungary took for six months from July, “received no European Council mandate to engage on behalf of the Union”. He also reminded Orbán that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim “exercising its legitimate right to self-defence”. On Tuesday, numerous countries restrained senior ministers from attending a Hungarian-hosted event, Politico reports. Not only did Orban not accept Michel’s line – he wrote back calling for talks on a peace conference with China and the restoration of diplomatic relations with Russia.
In Orbán’s view, the EU has lost the respect of the “Global South” because of its position on the war in Ukraine. He also expressed his view on President Joe Biden: “he is not able to change the current pro-war policy of the US and therefore it is impossible to expect him to start a new one”, while Trump would be ready to “immediately act as a peace mediator”. Convinced that Trump will win, Orbán also predicted the financial burden of supporting Ukraine will “change significantly to the disadvantage of the EU”.
