The Biden administration on Friday joined a chorus of criticism against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s trip to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it would do nothing to end the war.
“We are concerned that Prime Minister Orban chooses to make this trip to Moscow, which will not advance the cause of peace, nor will it promote the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine,” a senior Biden administration official said in a conference call with reporters, anticipating the NATO summit that will take place in Washington next week.
“Look, at the end of the day, we believe that Russia could end this war today by ceasing its aggression against Ukraine.”
At the NATO summit, scheduled for July 9-11, allies are expected to establish new financial and military commitments for Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
Other outcomes of the summit include the alliance’s announcement of new NATO commitments to Ukraine to deepen ties and lay the groundwork for Kiev to eventually join the alliance.
“When there is consensus among the 32 allies for Ukraine to join the Alliance, Ukraine will be ready, truly ready from day one, to turn on and play with the rest of the alliance,” the official said.
The White House, in criticizing the trip, joins other allies who denounced Orbán’s visit to Moscow, which he billed it as a chance “open channels of direct communication and start a dialogue on the shortest path to peace”.
Although Hungary holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, senior European officials were quick to point out that Orbán has no mandate to discuss foreign affairs on behalf of the 27-member bloc.
“In Moscow, Viktor Orbán does not in any way represent the EU or the EU’s positions. He is exploiting the position of EU presidency to sow confusion,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who will be the next head of EU foreign policy. posted on social platform.
“The EU is united, clearly supporting Ukraine and against Russian aggression.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated the EU’s support for Ukraine.
“Viktor Orbán is visiting Putin as Hungarian Prime Minister. In foreign policy, the European Council is represented by Charles Michel”, said the German leader.
“The EU’s position is very clear: we condemn the Russian war of aggression. Ukraine can count on our support.”
Before traveling to Moscow, Orbán met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, saying he was proposing a “time-bound ceasefire, which could provide an opportunity to accelerate peace negotiations.”
Zelensky welcomed Orbán’s visit as “a clear signal to all of us of the importance of unity in Europe and taking collective action”.
After meetings in Moscow, Putin released a statement that talks with Orbán were “quite intense” and that Russia and Hungary “continue to cooperate in several areas, mainly in the energy sector”.
International sanctions aimed at supporting Ukraine have sought to stifle Russian profits from its oil and gas exports.
Putin appealed to Russia’s terms to end the war, which include a commitment for Ukraine not to join NATO and for Russia to maintain control over the territory it occupies in Ukraine, terms that are not valid for Kiev.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to [Hungarian] Prime Minister for his visit to Moscow, which we consider an attempt to resume dialogue and give it a boost,” Putin said in the statement.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
