Michel says Orban has no EU mandate to visit Putin

European Council President Charles Michel responded to media reports about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's possible visit to Russia on Friday, pointing out that Hungary has no relevant EU mandate.

Source: Michel wrote on social network X, according to Yevropeiska Pravda.

The European Council has a clear position: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussion about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine.

According to Michel, Hungary, which has held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union since the beginning of July, has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU.

Szabolcs Pany, a journalist for VSquare and Direkt36 who covers Central and Eastern Europe, reported earlier, citing his own sources, that Viktor Orban was going to visit Moscow just a few days after visiting Kyiv.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who was absent from Orban's delegation in Kyiv and is considered a minister favorable to Russia, will also go to Russia, according to the journalist.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 05/07/2024