Orban opposes EU summit declaration, urges direct talks with Russia

Budapest [Hungary], March 2: Shortly before a special EU summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to block possible new efforts to support Ukraine.
In a letter to EU Council President Antonio Costa, which has been made available to DPA, Orban writes that he cannot agree to a joint statement by the EU heads of state and prime ministers after their summit on Thursday.
He writes that there are "strategic differences in our approach to Ukraine that cannot be bridged by drafting or communication." Zoltan Kovacs, the Hungarian state secretary responsible for international government communication, confirmed that the letter is authentic.
The letter from Budapest comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to abandon Ukraine in its fight against Russia if no agreement is reached with Moscow.
The EU summit meeting on Thursday was convened to discuss how to respond to the drastic change of course in US policy regarding the war in Ukraine. Orban on Saturday called on the European Union to follow the example of the Trump administration and hold direct talks with Russia on a ceasefire and a peace agreement in Ukraine. Hungary has been a major roadblock to EU unity on the war launched by Moscow.
Orban defied Brussels by visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last year. His government has also been opposed to EU sanctions on Moscow. Trump has spoken recently to Putin by phone, easing the Russian leader's Western isolation. Negotiating teams from the two powers also met this week in Istanbul to discuss a reset in diplomatic relations.
Source: Qatar Tribune