Ukrainians have been heroically resisting Russia, and only they have the right to decide whether to continue the fight. And Hungary is ready to provide support as a neighbour. This statement was made by Viktor Orban at a press conference after the informal EU summit in Budapest.
‘Ukraine is a sovereign country. Hungary is a sovereign country. What Ukraine will do is entirely up to the Ukrainians. They have decided to fight and they have fought heroically, they have to decide whether to continue or not,’ Orban said.
The Hungarian Prime Minister added that his efforts are aimed at protecting Hungary from the risks of war and avoiding any negative consequences for the country.
‘In July, I travelled to Kyiv and Moscow, and I was harshly criticised for that. But what I did in Ukraine was not an attempt to convince Ukrainians to do something. I was just trying to explain to the president that time was not on his side and I was ready to help create a kind of truce that would precede a longer-term peace. I was rejected and assured that time was on their side,’ Orban explained.
According to the Hungarian leader, since both sides are confident in their superiority, he tried to promote the creation of an ‘international peaceful environment’ with the prospect of future negotiations.
‘I have never told Ukrainians what to do. It is their country, their future, their life, their sovereign country. But I am ready to help them, as I have done many times, because they are our neighbours who fought heroically and who deserve a better future than what they have now,’ Orban added.
As a reminder, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to block EU aid to Ukraine and insists on ‘peace talks’ as a way to end the war.
On 2 July, Orban visited Kyiv to discuss with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the possibility of a ceasefire as a basis for negotiations with Russia.
A few days later, on 5 July, Orban travelled to Moscow to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The EU stressed that it had not given Orban any mandate to negotiate with Russia.
