Viktor Orban Photo: Martyn Wheatley / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press
On 12 December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as part of his attempts to help end the war in Ukraine. However, this initiative has been met with mixed reviews and has not yet yielded any visible results, AFP reports.
According to Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs, the leaders discussed “the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East”.
Distinctive positions of NATO Allies
Both countries are NATO members, but their approaches to the Russian-Ukrainian war differ significantly. Turkey has condemned Russia’s invasion from the outset, but has remained neutral, mediating between Moscow and Kyiv and avoiding Western sanctions against the Kremlin.
Hungary, despite its EU membership, continues to maintain close ties with Russia. In July, Orban visited Moscow without consulting his European partners and announced his intention to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Orban’s initiatives: criticism and consequences
In recent weeks, Orbán has been active in proposing an end to the war. Last week, he met with Pope Francis in the Vatican and with former US President Donald Trump in Florida.
On Wednesday, Orban spoke to Vladimir Putin by phone, during which he proposed a Christmas truce. He accused Ukraine of rejecting this initiative.
However, Kyiv categorically denied this statement. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed:
“There can be no negotiations on the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation. No one should use this tragedy for their own PR.”
What to expect?
The meeting with Erdogan confirms Orban’s intention to remain an active player in the international arena, despite criticism from the EU and NATO. Turkey is also interested in mediating in global conflicts, but there are no concrete results of these talks yet.
Orbán continues to risk undermining the unity of the Western alliance by remaining one of the few European leaders who openly supports dialogue with the Kremlin.
