Orban calls on EU leaders to hold summit with Russia

After a personal meeting between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, it is necessary to organize a summit between Russia and the leading EU countries, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Kossuth Radio.

Orban described as “good news” official Russian and US reports about ongoing preparations for a meeting between Putin and Trump.

"I still believe that a ceasefire [in Ukraine] can only be achieved if the American and Russian presidents reach an agreement," he noted.

Orban regretted the EU leaders’ decision to withdraw from the process of resolving the Ukrainian crisis and to support a continuation of the conflict. According to him, negotiations with US representatives on import tariffs have shown that the EU leadership is "of little use."

"Therefore, the German Chancellor [Friedrich Merz] and the French President [Emmanuel Macron] should go to Moscow together for talks on behalf of the EU or, if necessary, hold such a meeting in a neutral place. A Russian-European summit is imperative because this war is taking place on European territory," Orban emphasized.

He also urged EU countries to "be proactive" in organizing a possible meeting with the Russian leader.

In July, President Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Europeans were in a state of militaristic frenzy bordering on inadequacy.

"We don't know. What we have seen so far is Europeans being gripped by a completely rabid militaristic mood and declaring their intention to spend countless amounts of money on arms purchases in order to make sure the war rages on. Against the backdrop of such an emotional state bordering on inadequacy, it is very hard to predict anything on the European continent," he noted.

In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the European hawks do not have the strength to continue the Ukrainian conflict.

“The European hawks, led by France, Britain, Germany and Poland are not strong enough to continue this war, and fear ... that the United States will ‘give up on them’ and say, ‘You started this mess together with (former US President Joseph - ed.) Biden, so go ahead and clean it up,” Lavrov noted.

Earlier, the Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a briefing that the authorities of European countries were participating in the conflict in Ukraine by sending weapons and ammunition to Kyiv.

"We see that Europe is involved indirectly and continues to supply arms,  various weapons systems and ammunition. This is indirect participation in the war against Russia. There is an ongoing discussion about the European continent, and, of course, Europe's behavior does not contribute to a peaceful settlement," Peskov noted.

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