Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to meet Russian president after surprise visit to Ukraine to try to broker peace

The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbanshould meet with Russian president Vladimir Poutine this Friday, following his recent visit to kyiv.

What happened:The meeting between Orbán and Putin, confirmed by a Hungarian official and two European officials, is seen as an attempt to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Friday. The visit follows Orbán’s surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday, where he spent three hours with the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelensky.

Despite Orbán’s efforts, Charles MichelThe outgoing President of the European Council said that the rotating EU presidency has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU. He stressed that “Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussion on Ukraine can take place without Ukraine.”

Orbán’s upcoming trip was first reported by Panyi Szabolcs, The Hungarian prime minister proposed to Zelensky to set a deadline for a ceasefire in order to pave the way for full peace negotiations with Russia.

Why is this important?Orbán’s visit to Moscow will be the first by an EU leader since Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s failed peace-brokering attempt in April 2022. Orbán has already met Putin twice since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Previously, Putin and the Chinese president Xi Jinping had expressed his ambitions for a new Eurasian security system.

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In March, Orbán said that former US President Donald Trump planned to cut off all financial aid to Ukraine if he won the upcoming US presidential election. This announcement has significant implications for the ongoing conflict in the region.

Meanwhile, Zelensky has been pressuring Trump to unveil his plan to quickly end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. “If Trump knows how to end this war, he should tell us today,” Zelensky said.

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari