Orban sends secret letter to EU leaders after meeting with Putin: Details revealed

The letter, dated July 5, was sent from Azerbaijan, where Orban traveled after meeting with Putin. According to the media, the document was not intended for the public. Journalists obtained it from a European official, and its authenticity was confirmed by two other EU officials.

Orban writes that during his trips to Ukraine and Russia, he did not speak on behalf of the entire EU but merely sought to understand the positions of the warring sides. Orban briefly mentions Zelenskyy's stance but extensively recounts Putin's views.

According to the information presented by Orban in the letter, Russian authorities are confident that time is not on Ukraine's side but on the side of Russian forces. During his conversation with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Putin did not mention Russian losses at the front but spoke at length about his calculations of Ukrainian losses.

"The Russian President was surprised that the Ukrainian President rejected a temporary ceasefire. According to the Russian President, they are ready to consider any ceasefire proposal that does not serve as a cover for the hidden redeployment and regrouping of Ukrainian forces," Orban writes.

Orban also says in the letter that both Moscow and Kyiv are ready for peace talks only with the involvement of both sides. After the peace summit in Switzerland, Ukraine announced that it would invite Russia to the next summit. This is the only point in the letter where Orban details Ukraine's stance on the negotiations.

Orban's journey

On July 2, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Kyiv. He held a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. By July 5, the head of the Hungarian government, Viktor Orban, had arrived in Moscow. There, he met with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.

For more details on Orban's visit to Moscow, its objectives, and how European politicians reacted, read the RBC-Ukraine article.