Orbán in Moscow for Surprise Meeting with Putin: “Peace Will Only Come if Someone Makes it Happen”

 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is in Moscow, visiting Russian President Vladmir Putin on a surprise peace mission, after visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiew and suggesting a cease-fire in the bloody and losing Ukraine war. Orbán currently holds the chair of the EU Council, but stressed he is in Moscow as Hungarian Prime Minister alone.

The #peace mission continues. Second stop: #Moscow. pic.twitter.com/kPOkKBsJQm

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 5, 2024

“Peace will only come if someone makes it happen”, Orbán told Kossuth Radio, stating that peace in Ukraine won’t come automatically; it requires deliberate effort.

“You cannot make peace from a comfortable armchair in Brussels. Even if the rotating EU-Presidency has no mandate to negotiate on behalf of the EU, we cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end. We will serve as an important tool in making the first steps towards #peace. This is what our peace mission is about,” Orbán said.

You cannot make peace from a comfortable armchair in Brussels. Even if the rotating EU-Presidency has no mandate to negotiate on behalf of the EU, we cannot sit back and wait for the war to miraculously end. We will serve as an important tool in making the first steps towards… pic.twitter.com/5pqREmP8EN

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 5, 2024

Speaking on Kossuth Radio, Orbán said that “Hungary has no mandate, just as the rotating presidency has no mandate, to negotiate on behalf of the European Union, we can identify the situation, and how far each side can go, and once we have done that, the European leaders together can make decisions”, according to Hungarian spokesman Zoltan Kovacs.

️ @PM_ViktorOrban on Kossuth Radio: Hungary has no mandate, just as the rotating presidency has no mandate, to negotiate on behalf of the European Union, we can identify the situation, and how far each side can go, and once we have done that, the European leaders together can… pic.twitter.com/XZ3MY7z1OB

— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) July 5, 2024

Russia continues to make significant gains in the Ukraine war, advancing on all fronts. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Ukraine suffered up to 2,225 casualties Wednesday and up to 1,800 men Tuesday.

From 29 June to 5 July 2024, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost up to 13,525 men, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed.

In April, Russian Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu claimed that Ukraine lost almost half a million soldiers since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022.

The Kyiv Independent reported Ukraine’s General Staff claimed Russia has lost more than 540,000 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.

Another American Abrams heavy tank was destroyed with the help of high-precision ammunition “Krasnopol” in the Avdeevsky direction pic.twitter.com/izfbRYwXZS

— S p r i n t e r F a m i l y (@SprinterFamily) July 3, 2024