The sharp reaction of the European Union to the possible negotiations between Hungary and Russia
report Mehr News Agency quoted by Bloomberg, after the publication of reports about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s planned visit to Russia, European Council President Charles Michel warned that Orbán has the authority to negotiate on behalf of The European Union does not.
Orban, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, visited Kiev last week and is scheduled to leave for Moscow today. Michel published a message on the “X” channel and wrote: The rotating presidency of the European Union is not allowed to negotiate with Russia on behalf of the European Union.
He claimed: The position of the European Council is clear; Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim. There will be no dialogue without Ukraine.
Orban emphasized in a conversation after the presidency of the European Council that his first actions in line with the development of peace in Ukraine will be done soon. After his trip to Kyiv on July 2, he expressed his willingness to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow in a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Many European leaders, including Michel, had a strong reaction to this news. According to the general law of the European Union, the officials who act as periodic presidents on behalf of this bloc, in official negotiations in the international arena and with other institutions of the European Union, must represent the common position of the 27 members of this bloc, not the positions of their respective countries.
Neither the European Council, which is made up of the heads of state located in the European Union, nor the Council of the European Union, which gathers the ministers of the member states, made a decision about the war in Ukraine. They have not received information about negotiations with Russia. At the last European Union summit, the leaders of this bloc agreed on military, financial and political support for Ukraine as long as it is needed.