'Will not advance peace for Ukraine.' White House criticizes Orbán's visit to Moscow
Photo: Joe Biden criticized Orbán's meeting with Putin (Getty Images)
The administration of US President Joe Biden criticized the visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House believes that such negotiations will not contribute to peace in Ukraine, according to The Hill.
The media quotes a senior US administration official saying that Orbán's trip will do nothing to end the war.
"We’re concerned that Prime Minister Orban would choose to take this trip to Moscow, which will neither advance the cause of peace, nor will it promote Ukrainian sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence," he noted, adding that Russia can end the war by ceasing its aggression against Ukraine.
As The Hill writes, at the NATO summit on July 9-11, allies will lay out new financial and military commitments, including those aimed at deepening ties and setting the groundwork for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.
"When there is consensus among the 32 allies for Ukraine to join the Alliance, Ukraine is ready, truly ready on day one, to plug and play with the rest of the alliance," the official said.
Criticism of Orbán's visit to Moscow
European officials previously criticized Orbán's visit, as despite Hungary's presidency in the EU, he did not have a mandate to discuss international affairs on behalf of the entire European Union.
"In Moscow, Viktor Orbán in no way represents the EU or the EU's positions. He is exploiting the EU presidency position to sow confusion," said the future head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed the EU's support for Ukraine.
"The EU's position is very clear: we condemn Russia's aggressive war. Ukraine can count on our support," he emphasized.
Before the trip to Moscow, the Hungarian Prime Minister met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. In particular, he proposed considering a ceasefire to supposedly accelerate peace negotiations with the Russian Federation.
Read about the outcomes of this trip in a material by RBC-Ukraine.
Reacting to Orbán's trip yesterday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the principle of "no agreements on Ukraine without Ukraine" remains unwavering.
