European Union leaders who appear miserable and weak when compared to the Russian and US presidents should wake up and take the initiative in resolving the Ukrainian conflict, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday.
Commenting on the EU statement ahead of the Putin-Trump talks scheduled for August 15 in Alaska, Orban said that the Ukrainian conflict "is a European problem that must be solved by Europe, but it does nothing about it."
Instead, he noted that EU leaders merely try to give advice when "two strong men - the American and Russian presidents - sit down at the negotiating table," making the Europeans look "miserable and weak" by comparison, Orban said in an interview with the Hungarian television.
"This conflict is happening in our own backyard. Europe needs to wake up and take the initiative into its own hands," the prime minister stressed, explaining why he refused to join the EU leaders’ joint statement. According to him, Europeans "need a Russia-EU summit, not commentaries on a Russia-US summit."
The prime minister also added that there was another reason he once again distanced himself from the EU’s common position. In their statement the EU leaders supported Ukraine’s intention to access the bloc, while Hungarian citizens recently voted against such a move in a referendum.
"The Hungarian people have said they do not want to be in the European Union together with Ukraine and therefore do not support its accession," the prime minister explained.
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Hungary did not join the statement of the EU countries on Ukraine, as they tried to dictate terms to Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump ahead of their landmark summit where Europeans were not invited, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteEarlier in the day, Hungary disavowed the European leaders’ Tuesday statement on Ukraine, in which EU members pledged to continue providing military and diplomatic support to Kiev and imposing restrictive measures against Russia.
When asked whether any other European countries share Hungary’s view, Orban replied: "We are never alone. We are the only ones who say it out loud, but many others think the same way."
ReplyDeleteEuropean leaders have warned against Ukrainian borders being redrawn by force – three days before Russia's Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are due to hold a summit on Ukraine in Alaska.
ReplyDeleteIn a statement, European leaders said "the people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future".
It added the principles of "territorial integrity" must be respected and "international borders must not be changed by force".
The statement was signed by 26 of 27 leaders. Missing from the signatories was Hungary's leader Viktor Orban, who has maintained friendly relations with Russia and has repeatedly tried to block European Union support for Ukraine.
In their statement, European leaders said "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has wider implications for European and international security", and stressed the need for a "just and lasting peace".
ReplyDeleteThey also said Ukraine should be capable of "defending itself effectively" and pledged to continue providing military support to Kyiv, which was "exercising its inherent right of self defence".
"The European Union underlines the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny and will continue supporting Ukraine on its path towards EU membership," the statement concluded.
The leaders also reaffirmed their support for Ukraine to join the EU.
ReplyDeleteHungary did not sign the statement. Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X that Hungary would not back a statement setting conditions for a meeting to which EU leaders were not invited.
Guerre en Ukraine : «les prochaines heures seront cruciales» après une percée russe dans la région de Donetsk
ReplyDeleteCette avancée menace une voie d’approvisionnement stratégique vers Sloviansk et Kramatorsk. «Si elle tombe aux mains des Russes et que la situation s’empire, cela pourrait constituer un atout majeur pour Poutine vendredi à la table des négociations avec Trump en Alaska»
ReplyDeleteHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday that he did not support an EU leaders’ statement on Ukraine’s right to “choose its own destiny” released ahead of a US-Russia summit this week.
ReplyDeleteEU leaders stressed on Tuesday “the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny,” just three days before US President Donald Trump meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
The EU leaders’ “statement attempts to set conditions for a meeting to which leaders of the EU were not invited,” Orban said.
ReplyDelete“The fact that the EU was left on the sidelines is sad enough as it is. The only thing that could make things worse is if we started providing instructions from the bench,” he added.
Ukraine will not recognize the decision taken at the Russia-US summit in Alaska without its participation, Vladimir Zelensky said.
ReplyDelete"It is impossible to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no one will recognize that. That’s why this conversation may be important for their [Russia-US] bilateral track, but they cannot decide anything on Ukraine without us. I hope the US president understands that and takes into account," the head of the Kiev regime said at a forum.
Зеленский заявил, что Киев не признает итогов саммита США и России на Аляске, если он пройдёт без её участия.
DeleteВстреча Трампа и Путина, по его словам, может быть значимой только для двусторонних отношений Вашингтона и Москвы.
«Говорить про Украину без Украины невозможно, и никто этого не примет. Поэтому разговор может быть важным для их двустороннего трека, но ничего про Украину без нас они принять не могут. Я надеюсь, что президент США это понимает и учитывает», — сказал Зеленский на форуме «Молодежь здесь».
Также он сообщил, что готовится и трёхсторонняя встреча с его участием, однако дата пока не определена.
The breakthrough of Russian troops north of Pokrovsk "caused a wave of outrage and confusion in Kiev" on the eve of the Putin-Trump meeting.
ReplyDeleteThis is reported by the Financial Times.
"In the past few days, Russian troops have advanced nearly 15 km along a narrow corridor parallel to the city of Dobropillia — a mining settlement that has become an important logistics hub north of fortified Pokrovsk, which Russian troops have almost encircled. This unexpected breakthrough threatens to cut off a vital road connecting Dobropillia with Kramatorsk... and will allow Russian forces to bypass and flank the line of fortifications and defensive positions built in recent months," the article says.
As noted by Ukrainian military and analysts, the real situation turned out to be significantly worse than expected.
"Russia's tactical breakthrough north of Pokrovsk is not surprising, given the lack of continuous defensive lines, and could develop negatively," said military expert Michael Kofman.
Also, the "breakthrough of Russian troops caused a wave of criticism within Ukrainian military circles and among volunteers."
The distance between the Russian Armed Forces' "pincers" in the Pokrovsk direction is reportedly less than 15 kilometers.
DeleteDie russische Armee hat 110.000 ihrer Soldaten in der Pokrovsk-Richtung konzentriert, - der Generalstab der VSU versucht, den Durchbruch der Front in Pokrovsk zu widerlegen.
DeleteАрмия России сосредоточила на Покровском направлении 110 000 своих военных, - Генштаб ВСУ пыивеися опровергнуть прорыв фронта у Покровска.
DeleteЛидеры ЕС выглядят жалкими и слабыми на фоне Путина и Трампа, считает Орбан. Европейцам "нужен саммит Россия — Евросоюз, а не комментарии к российско-американскому саммиту".
ReplyDeleteЕвропе необходимо проснуться и взять инициативу в свои руки, отметил премьер Венгрии.
Ukraine has jeopardized its existence by upsetting the balance of power in Europe, lost the war to Russia, and now other states will decide its future, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on the Patriota YouTube channel.
ReplyDelete"Ukraine lost, while Russia won this war. The only question is when and under what circumstances the Western figures behind the Ukrainians will admit that this has happened, and what it means," the head of government said.
In any case, Orban believes, "Ukraine will not determine its own future, because it is it that has upset the balance of power and jeopardized its own statehood."
The prime minister said that up to a certain point, Ukraine served as a buffer territory between Russia and the West, but later it wished to join NATO and the European Union, disrupting the balance of power in Europe. Russia regarded this as a threat to its national security, and now Ukraine is losing military operations and "is in a very difficult situation," Orban said.