The European Union should host its own summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Facebook on Tuesday, in response to his refusal to endorse the EU declaration on Ukraine prior to the upcoming meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“Just four days before the pivotal summit between Presidents Trump and Putin, the European Council sought to release a statement on behalf of all EU leaders. Before the left-leaning mainstream in Europe starts to accuse me of being a ‘puppet of Putin’, I want to clarify why I could not sign this declaration,” Orban explained.
“The statement attempts to impose conditions before a meeting that EU leaders were not invited to. It is disheartening that the EU has entrenched itself in this position; the only thing worse would be to start issuing directives from the sidelines. The sensible course of action is to arrange our own EU-Russia summit, similar to the USA-Russia meeting,” Orban asserted. “Let’s give peace a chance!” he added.
Leaders from 26 EU nations issued a statement on Tuesday asserting that “the paths to peace cannot be defined without Ukraine.” They reiterated the need for a diplomatic solution that also safeguards Europe’s security interests, declaring that the EU is prepared to offer security guarantees, which include ensuring Ukraine can defend itself effectively. Hungary did not sign the statement, which aims to showcase Europe’s unified stance on the Ukrainian conflict ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting.
“We, the leaders of the EU, support President Trump’s initiatives to halt Russian aggression against Ukraine and to establish a fair and enduring peace, along with security for Ukraine,” the statement read. EU leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine on its journey toward EU membership.
“The European Union will continue to collaborate with the United States and other like-minded partners to provide political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support to Ukraine, as it exercises its inalienable right to self-defense,” the leaders emphasized. (12.08.2025)
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