Hungary’s PM presents EU leaders with “peace plan” for resolving Russia-Ukraine war

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán presented his "peace plan" to the EU leaders, which included goals and deadlines for the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.

According to Magyar Nemzet, the political director of the Prime Minister of Hungary, Balázs Orbán, stated that.

"There are two belligerents, Ukraine and Russia, and three or four large or medium-sized powers that can play a decisive role as mediators. These are the United States, Europe, China, and also, for example, Türkiye, which has helped to achieve so far only a partial agreement on the Black Sea grain corridors," he said.

Orbán emphasized that these countries are the first and key when it comes to real peacebuilding.

"We visited everywhere with the aim of finding out how big and what the chances are for peace. At first, the peacekeeping mission visited two war-torn countries. From these trips, it became clear that Ukraine and Russia are very determined to fight, and without the participation of external mediators, unfortunately, we will see very violent destruction in the coming months," he said.

The representative of the Hungarian Prime Minister added that China and Türkiye are committed to peace, so they can be potential mediators.

"Donald Trump is also committed to peace, so if he becomes the US president again, he will soon make peace himself. But the Europeans and the current US administration are in favor of continuing the war," he said.

According to him, Orbán addressed the leaders of the European Council with a letter about the progress of negotiations, the experience of the first phase of the peacekeeping mission, and Hungarian proposals.

"If Europe wants peace, wants to have a decisive voice in settling the war and stopping the bloodshed, it must now develop and implement a change of direction," he said.

According to him, this is actually Orbán's plan to settle Russia's war against Ukraine.

"Yes, this is actually Orbán's plan, which is currently on the table of every EU prime minister. A realistic assessment of the situation, realistic goals and appropriate deadlines is our approach," he said.

"We are convinced that the entire period of our country's presidency in the EU should be used to create conditions for peace negotiations. If the EU does not act now, it may not be able to act later. There are several players in international politics with whom it is worth negotiating and encouraging them to take joint action. So there are still many trips and negotiations ahead," Balázs Orbán said.

For reference:

On July 2, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán came to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling on him to "take a break, cease-fire and then start negotiations."

This was Orbán's first trip to Ukraine since 2010. The prime minister arrived the day after Hungary began its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.

After the visit to Kyiv, Orbán went on an unannounced visit to Moscow. However, Ukraine and the EU emphasized that he does not have any authority to conduct negotiations on behalf of the European Union or Ukraine. In response to criticism, Orbán himself admitted that he did not have a mandate for "peace talks" but claimed that Budapest "can be a good instrument of peace" in the hands of others.

Currently, the European Union (EU) leadership is considering the possibility of limiting Hungary's powers as head of the EU Council after the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, met with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow and his attempts to present himself as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine.

After visiting Ukraine and the Russian Federation, Orbán went to China, a longtime ally of Russia. China does not support the Ukrainian "peace formula" but instead promotes its own. At the meeting with Orbán, Chinese President Xi Jinping also talked about a "quick ceasefire and political settlement" of the Russian-Ukrainian war without specifying whether this includes supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity.

On July 9, the Prime Minister of Hungary spoke with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Orbán called on him to support the "Hungarian peacekeeping mission," noting that "Türkiye is the only successor-mediator in the conflict." Erdogan himself, during a meeting with the head of Russia, Vladimir Putin, stated that his country is also ready to create a basis for an agreement to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv.

Also, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met in Florida with Donald Trump, the candidate for the United States presidency, to discuss "peaceful initiatives" to end the war in Ukraine.