Viktor Orban describes his visit to Moscow as a “peace mission” but European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warns “appeasement will not stop Putin”.
War in Ukraine will not “miraculously end”, Hungary’s prime minister has said as he defended his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Viktor Orban angered European Union leaders after holding talks with Mr Putin in Moscow over a potential peace deal in the war launched more than two years ago by Russia.
While Mr Orban described the trip as a “peace mission” – days before a NATO summit addressing military aid for Ukraine – he acknowledged he did not consult the EU beforehand.
Peace cannot be made “from a comfortable armchair in Brussels”, he said, adding: “We cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end.”
Mr Putin, who met Mr Orban in the Kremlin, said the talks had been useful and accused Ukraine of not wanting to end the war.
He said last month Russia would end the conflict if Ukraine agrees to drop aspirations to join NATO and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow – demands Kyiv swiftly rejected.
Ukraine sees its 10-point peace plan – which includes all Russian troops withdrawing from internationally recognised Ukrainian land – as the way to end the conflict.
In the five days since Hungary assumed the six-month rotating EU presidency, Mr Orban has also visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – though Kyiv said it was not made aware of his plans to visit Moscow.
The visit to Moscow “unfortunately justified” scepticism within the bloc about Hungary’s presidency, an EU diplomat said on the condition of anonymity, adding that “it’s all about promoting Budapest’s interests”.