The international spokesman for the Hungarian government, Zoltán Kovács, warned, on Thursday 4 July, that the government would maintain its line on Ukraine during its mandate as President of the EU Council.
Asked about one of the cornerstones of the Presidency, peace, Mr Kovács told a group of Brussels-based journalists on a trip to Budapest, including Agence Europe, that Hungary’s position on the war in Ukraine was “very consistent” and would “not change because of the Presidency” of the Council of the EU. “Being an honest broker does not mean having to give up your own position”, the spokesman warned. He added that his country would not compromise with its national interests.
So there is no question of Hungary lifting its block on seven decisions linked to the ‘European Peace Facility’ to help Ukraine, which represents €6.6 billion in reimbursements for the Member States.
“On this issue, we have a clear demand that must be met”, explained Mr Kovács. Budapest is calling for Hungarian companies not to be included on the Ukrainian list of international sponsors of the war. After the OTP bank, which was listed and then delisted by Kyiv, a pharmaceutical company is said to be “persecuted” by the Ukrainians, according to a Hungarian source. “The parties are working to find a solution”, said a Hungarian official.
Mr Kovács also highlighted the situation of the Hungarian minorities in Ukraine, who, according to him, had lost rights under the new Constitution.
According to a European source, Hungary has been offered a kind of opt-out, not to contribute to these amounts in exchange for not blocking decisions, but Budapest has refused.
No military solution to the conflict. Mr Kovács also pointed out that his country had not changed its position since the start of the war. “We are suggesting genuine peace talks, the flagrant violations of international law should be resolved through negotiation”, he explained, adding that the bloodshed had to stop.
A Hungarian official explained that the government was using every opportunity to call for an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations, believing that there was no military solution to the conflict.
For this official, while the Russians and Ukrainians seem capable of maintaining the intensity of the fighting, “the best way to end a conflict is to sit down and talk. When peace talks are held, this does not mean that the front line will be cemented”. He used the end of the First World War as an example. This official said that peace should be negotiated “sooner rather than later”, and not when the situation inevitably leads to talks.
Orbán to visit Moscow? While Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán travelled to Ukraine on Tuesday, the second day of his country’s Presidency of the EU Council (see EUROPE 13444/21), for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and could travel to Moscow this Friday, Hungary’s European Affairs Minister János Boka pointed out that the Presidency of the EU Council has no mandate to negotiate with anyone. “The Prime Minister sees his role as that of a facilitator, sharing information and facilitating the process that may lead at some point to a situation more conducive to peace”, he explained.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, was quick to react to Mr Orbán’s possible visit to Russia, pointing out that the rotating Presidency had no mandate to hold talks with Moscow on behalf of the EU. “The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim, and no discussion on Ukraine can take place without Ukraine”, he warned on X.
“Nowhere in Europe is it disputed that there is a war in which Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim of aggression. We support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”, explained Mr Boka earlier in the day. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)