EXCLUSIVE: Viktor Orban receives a harsh response from European Council President Charles Michel: Hungary has no role in representing the EU on the international stage / I cannot accept your statement that I led a pro-war policy, it is exactly the opposite

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, sharply responded to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who had asked him in a letter to cease support for Ukraine. „I cannot accept your claim that I have led a pro-war policy; it is exactly the opposite. Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the victim,” Charles Michel wrote to Orban in a letter reviewed by G4Media.

Recall that Viktor Orban is considered Russia’s Trojan horse in the EU and NATO after he obstructed support for Ukraine and blocked several sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Charles Michel also told Viktor Orban that Hungary, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, that he cannot represent the EU abroad.

„The rotating presidency of the Council has no role in representing the European Union on the international stage and has received no mandate from the European Council to engage on behalf of the Union. I made this clear even before your visit to Moscow,” the letter reviewed by G4Media states.

Charles Michel’s response comes amid Viktor Orban’s visits to Putin, Xi, and Trump over the past two weeks while Hungary holds the rotating EU presidency. Orban’s rhetoric for a peace agreement while Russia still controls much of eastern Ukraine plays into the Kremlin’s hands and undermines Western efforts to support Kyiv’s territorial integrity.

Charles Michel also rejected Orban’s claims to negotiate a „peace” between Russia and Ukraine before Russia withdraws its troops from the illegally occupied areas.

„No discussion about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine. The most direct path to peace is for Russia to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine and respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the UN Charter,” wrote Charles Michel.

Context

Viktor Orban sent Charles Michel a letter claiming that Donald Trump would quickly call for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine if he wins the US presidential elections in November, and this prospect means that the EU should reopen direct diplomatic communication with Russia.

Orban’s letter reflects Russia’s desire for a peace agreement that guarantees it retains the territories militarily occupied in eastern Ukraine, a solution rejected by Kyiv and Western states.