Viktor Orban Is First EU Politician to Discuss Peace

As the recent European election results clearly demonstrate the commitment of ordinary European citizens to peace, and the Hungarian prime minister's visit to Ukraine was also aimed at finding a solution to the conflict as soon as possible, this is why Viktor Orban's trip was significant, Laszlo Dornfeld, senior analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights, told Magyar Nemzet.

"We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war. Anything is possible, including sending Western troops to Ukraine," said French President Emmanuel Macron in February this year.

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) embraces Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, June 7, 2024. (Photo: AFP/Yoan Valat)

Macron has repeatedly reaffirmed France's determination, along with its partners, to give Ukraine the long-term support it needs to fight Russian aggression.

Macron promises more military aid for Ukraine ''in the coming days and weeks'' | Ukrainska Pravda https://t.co/yJ7q7pJVR2

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also said that "whatever happens", the leaders have a “responsibility for Europe” and “a strong Europe is important for Ukraine”. 

Ukraine "urgently needs a boosted air defense" to defend itself from "a rain of Russian drones and missiles", German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Kyiv. "Our support is based on the deep conviction that Ukraine will win this war."

Josep Borrell, the EU's outgoing High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:

A high-intensity, conventional war in Europe is no longer just a fantasy.

A pro-war stance is the common denominator in the position of EU politicians.

The United States has put together a military aid package worth more than $2.3 billion for Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday when he met at the Pentagon with his Ukrainian counterpart Defense Minister Rustem Umerov .

"By contrast, Viktor Orban promised peace in the run up to the elections, and now he is working on establishing that peace," Fanni Lajko told Magyar Nemzet earlier. The analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights explained: the first and one of the most significant steps of this was the agreement concluded with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the days after the European Parliament elections, and then Viktor Orbán's visit to Ukraine was an important and symbolic step in the creation of peace, which also brought the parties closer to understanding each other.

This was a meeting where, unlike the negotiations with other Western leaders, the focus was on achieving a ceasefire as soon as possible, instead of sending lethal weapons.

Viktor Orban, as the prime minister of the country holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, arrived in Kyiv where he confirmed:

The rules of international diplomacy are slow and complicated. I asked the president to consider whether it would be possible to reverse the order and speed up the peace negotiations with a quick ceasefire. A ceasefire bound by a deadline, which gives an opportunity to speed up the peace negotiations: I assessed the possibilities of this,

Viktor Orban is the first leader in the European Union who came to Kyiv with the message of peace and not war for President Volodymyr Zelensky. Before that, only one religious leader, Pope Francis, visited the Ukrainian capital to advocate for peace instead of further senseless killing,

the senior analyst at the think tank pointed out.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive for a joint press conference on July 2, 2024 in Kyiv. (Photo: NurPhoto/AFP/STR)

This is by any account a historic moment, since this visit took place at a time when the supporting pillars of the pro-war liberal policy system are crumbling in the states of Europe, and the rule of the elite, which has been taken for granted until now, is finally being called into question. The majority of European voters want peace, and Viktor Orban went to Kyiv not only as the prime minister of Hungary, but also as the current head of the rotating EU presidency,

he added.

This is also underscored by the fact that not only the ceasefire and peace negotiations were discussed, but the issue of the Hungarian minority was also an important agenda point. In addition to the national aspect, it can also be interpreted in the European dimension, since the satisfactory settlement of minority rights was one of the conditions for the start of the EU accession negotiations. Viktor Orban himself already interpreted the visit in the context of the Hungarian presidency, the expert emphasized.

According to Laszlo Dornfeld, it can generally be said that the international press was surprised by the Hungarian PM's visit, since this is the first time in ten years that this has happened. The Hungarian head of government has stayed away until now despite the fact that since the beginning of the war it has become almost mandatory in Western political circles to pay a visit to Kyiv. For example, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, traveled to the Ukrainian capital several times after 2022 in order to support the war, but during that time she never managed to visit Budapest, the capital of an EU member state, not even on the occasion of Hungary assuming the duties of the EU presidency, though this is considered an established custom, he pointed out.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaking with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at Burgenstock luxury holiday spot near Lucerne on June 16,2024. (Photo: AFP/Michael Buholzer)

The European Commission president was accompanied by 15 European Commissioners on her visit to Kyiv on February 2, 2023, and Von der Leyen then declared that "we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes". The Commission president was then followed by a number of leading Western politicians, for example European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

The most memorable of the pro-war supporters may be former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who arrived during the spring 2022 peace talks to dissuade Zelensky from signing a peace deal. The document, which was practically just awaiting signature, ended up in the depths of the drawer, and the war continued, with many hundreds of thousands of military and civilian victims. All these politicians have made it clear that a military victory for Ukraine is the only acceptable conclusion they see to the war,

the expert stressed.

Key points on Hungary's EU presidency agenda are the establishment of peace and the restoration of European competitiveness, which, after the conclusion of a peace, will lead to the settlement of relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions. This route clearly shows what a lie it was on the part of the mainstream media to accuse our country of being pro-Russian, while the Hungarian government from the beginning only advocated one position, that of peace. That is why Viktor Orban's visit was extremely significant,

Laszlo Dornfeld concluded.

Cover photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following talks in Kyiv on July 2, 2024 (Photo: NurPhoto/AFP/STR)