A top European Union official criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on July 16 for launching a self-styled Ukraine "peace mission" without EU backing. This move included talks with former U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of Russia and China.
In a letter to fellow leaders of the 27-nation bloc, Orban said that Trump, the U.S. Republican presidential candidate, is prepared to act "immediately" as a peace broker in the Russia-Ukraine war if elected in November.
Charles Michel, the chair of the European Council of the EU's national leaders, reprimanded the Hungarian premier and stressed that he had no mandate for talks on the war.
"The rotating Presidency of the Council has no role in representing the Union on the international stage and received no European Council mandate to engage on behalf of the Union," Michel told Orban in a letter seen by Reuters.
Many European officials fear that Trump could reduce U.S. support for Kyiv and push Ukraine into peace talks that would grant Moscow a significant portion of Ukrainian territory, potentially encouraging Russian leader Vladimir Putin to undertake further military actions.
Hungary, which has maintained close ties with Russia since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, assumed the EU's rotating six-month presidency at the beginning of July.
Chris York
