In an interview with Magyar Nemzet published on Monday, Balázs Orbán, the political director of the Hungarian Prime Minister, discussed Viktor Orbán’s peace mission and the assassination attempt against former US President Donald Trump.
Balázs Orbán stressed that in the war in Ukraine, there are three or four major or middle powers alongside the two warring parties that can play a decisive role as mediators. These are the United States, the European Union, China, and Türkiye. PM Orbán first visited the two warring parties, where it became clear that both Russia and Ukraine were very determined to win. Following these visits, the prime minister’s trip took him to potential mediators, including China, Türkiye, and Donald Trump, who has a good chance of winning the presidential election in November. ‘China and Türkiye are committed to peace, just like Donald Trump,’ Balázs Orbán underlined.
The prime minister informed the leaders of the European Council in writing about the negotiations, the experiences of the first phase of the peace mission, and the Hungarian proposals. ‘If Europe wants peace and wants to have a decisive say in the settlement of the war and the end of the bloodshed, then a
change of direction must be worked out and implemented now,’
the political director said.
In fact, he said, it is an Orbán plan that is now on the table of every EU prime minister. ‘A realistic assessment of the situation, realistic targets, and a proper timetable—that is the basis of our approach.’
The political director stated that Hungary’s diplomatic strengths should be viewed in the context of the role it can play in ending the war and achieving peace. He emphasized that the past two weeks demonstrate that Budapest’s willingness to mediate must be taken seriously.
‘The fact that the Hungarian prime minister is the doyen of European politics, the politician with the most experience and the broadest personal network of contacts, opens many doors that others could never open,’ he said.
Balázs Orbán also revealed that more negotiations as part of the peace mission can be expected in the near future. ‘We are in the middle of a very intense period,’ he pointed out.
Addressing the criticisms from EU leaders regarding Orbán’s participation in these trips without an EU mandate, the political director noted: ‘The point is that there are political forces that are pro-war and therefore do not want peace in Europe. That’s why they are disturbed that our country is showing not only the Hungarian electorate but also the European electorate that a different approach can be taken.’ He further remarked that nothing is too expensive for war propaganda when it comes to silencing and discrediting pro-peace voices, citing the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Donald Trump as examples.
According to Balázs Orbán, a change in the attitude of pro-war leaders can only come about if there is a change in the leadership of the United States. ‘The United States is playing a key role, while European politics is completely empty. On this issue, European strategic autonomy is a myth. The Europeans are following the Biden administration,’ he pointed out.
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