Viktor Orban arrives in Moscow and meets with Vladimir Putin

Hungarian Prime Minister arrived in Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The subject of the talks was the search for ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, the Hungarian prime minister visited Kiev, where he apparently also discussed details of a peace plan.

Viktor Orban, Hungarian Prime Minister:

Obviously, big peace talks will be conducted by big countries. But the situation today is that there is no dialog. And without dialog it is very difficult to see how we can move towards peace. I think Europe has to keep the compass of peace and humanity, humane thinking, humane foreign policy.

The trip has caused panic among European officials. Charles Michel, the outgoing head of the European Council, said Hungary's presidency of the EU Council "does not give it the right to engage with Russia on behalf of the entire European Union." Estonia's prime minister called Orban a "troublemaker" and the head of the European Commission insists on the "unity and determination of the European Union".

The chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee called the trip a scandal, claiming that "Orban shamefully abuses the EU Council presidency and travels to the Kremlin without a mandate." In an emergency statement, Borrell hastened to say that Viktor Orbán had not received a mandate from the EU to visit Moscow, noting that the Prime Minister's visit was solely within the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia.