In an interview for public television M1, Mr.Orban also said that in the US presidential debate, Donald Trump, the conservative or Republican presidential candidate, made it clear that he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours.
So if he wins, there will at least be a ceasefire, whether that will lead to a lasting peace is a question for the future, but what we have now will certainly not continue. And so Europe must quickly prepare for the situation, that sooner or later the Americans and the Russians will sit down to negotiate,
the Hungarian leader said.
Fanni Lajko also pointed out that
Viktor Orban's visit to Ukraine was an important and symbolic step in establishing peace and bringing the parties closer to understanding each other. It was a meeting where, unlike the talks with other Western leaders, the focus was on achieving a ceasefire as soon as possible, rather than on sending lethal weapons.
"The timing is also symbolic," she noted, "because it comes right at the beginning of the Hungarian EU Presidency, which foreshadows Hungary's objectives for the next six months, which is to establish peace. By achieving this one goal, all the other priorities can gain ground". As the analyst said,
if there is no war to send millions of euros and weapons to, and if there is no misguided sanctions policy making Europe's own economic situation more difficult, at the end of the tunnel we will see a more competitive European Union, which is another key priority of Hungary's EU Presidency.
In the interview for M1 PM Orban named one of the top objectives of the six-month Hungarian Presidency is to strengthen European competitiveness. "We would like to conclude a major competitiveness agreement," he stressed.
According to the analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights think tank, peace is linked to all areas from the economy to enlargement policy. "What remains to be seen is whether Viktor Orban is also accepted by the Russians as a mediator in the peace process. Hungary has always made its interests and plans clear, in contrast to most EU countries, where tough rhetoric against Russia is voiced in the communications arena, while increasingly more intense economic deals are being concluded in the background."
Hungary has always taken and continues to take the position that its economic relations are shaped according to the national interest.
"This is not a position on the side of one or the other of the warring parties, this is a position on the side of Hungarian interests and of peace", the analyst stressed, adding that this approach could enable a less hostile tone of voice in negotiations with the two sides and could provide neighborly guidance towards peace.
However, the expert also noted that "this peace-promoting approach requires the collaboration of multiple countries. A good starting point might be The just formed and expanding European Parliament group the Patriots for Europe may serve as a good starting point, where right-wing parties can join forces in the Brussels arena beyond bilateral relations to work towards a common goal".
Cover photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) in talks in Kyiv on July 2, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)
