European Parliament condemns Orbns meeting with Putin – POLITICO Europe

The visit shook up Brussels and European Union capitals, as it took place a few days after Hungary took the helm of the presidency of the Council of the EU and Orbn suggested he was representing the bloc as a whole.

The EU rotating presidency has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU. The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine, European Council chief Charles Michel wrote on X in early July.

The declaration approved by the European Parliament considers the visit to be a blatant violation of the EUs Treaties and common foreign policy, including the principle of sincere cooperation, while arguing that Orbn did not have the right to represent the EU while at the same time violating common EU positions.

In the immediate aftermath of the Hungarian Prime Ministers so-called peace mission, Russia attacked the Okhmatdyt childrens hospital in Kyiv, showing the irrelevance of his alleged efforts, which have been met with skepticism from the Ukrainian leadership, the resolution continues, referring to a violent attack on July 8 that killed at least 20 people.

In reaction to the visit, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy argued thatOrbncannot mediate because Hungary is not strong enough. You need to have an economy that influences Russia, and Putin depends on it. Or you have a very powerful army that Putin fears, which is stronger than the Russian one, he argued.

Orbns main opponent in Hungary, Pter Magyar, along with fellow EU lawmakers from his Respect and Freedom Party, voted against the resolution. Magyar called the decision a punishment against Hungaryin a Facebook post: We condemn Russias aggression against Ukraine, but we cant support punishing Hungary because of Viktor Orbns wrong policies.

Magyar, who sits as an MEP in the European Peoples Party, added that his party also opposes the cordon sanitaire against Orbns newly formed far-right Patriots for Europe group. According to his post, Magyar informed the head of the EPP Manfred Weber of his positions, which Weber apparently took note of.

EU countries have already retaliated by boycotting informal ministerial meetings organized by Hungary as part of the EU Council presidency, while the European Commission has instructed its top officials to skip similar meetings.

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European Parliament condemns Orbns meeting with Putin - POLITICO Europe