Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on July 8 that Viktor Orban could not mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion as the Hungarian prime minister traveled to Beijing on a continuation of what he calls "peace mission 3.0."
Orban's meetings in Beijing followed visits to Kyiv and Moscow last week following Hungary's assumption of the EU Council presidency on July 1, but EU and U.S. officials have emphasized that Orban is not representing the bloc.
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In a letter to European Council President Charles Michel dated July 5 and seen by RFE/RL, Orban said, based on his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he believes there is now a “greater chance for a positive reception on all possible proposals for a cease-fire and for a road map to peace talks.”
But Mike Carpenter, senior adviser for Europe with the White House National Security Council, said Orban’s meeting with Putin was not helpful.
“I don’t think [Orban’s visit to Moscow] is going to support Ukraine and its efforts at finding peace or Ukraine’s sovereignty or territorial integrity, Carpenter said on July 8 at a briefing as United States prepares for the opening of a NATO summit on July 9.
Michel said last week that the EU's rotating presidency "has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU" and reiterated the EU's position that Russia is the aggressor in the war in Ukraine.
Orban claimed in his letter that leadership by the United States “is limited” due to the ongoing presidential election campaign. Therefore, he said the EU can expect no proposals from the United States in the coming months and Brussels should consider launching a European initiative.
Speaking at a news conference in Poland, Zelenskiy said only powerful countries with armed forces much stronger than Russia's could manage to arrange peace talks.
"Are there many such countries around the world? Not many. I believe the U.S., and China are such countries. And the EU, not one country, but the whole EU. This could really be an intermediary mission," Zelenskiy said.
He added that Kyiv remains open to proposals from other countries on how to shape the path to peace, but they should align with the Ukrainian vision, in particular a 10-point peace plan, Zelenskiy added.
Zelenskiy has insisted that Ukraine's territorial integrity -- backed in multiple UN votes and a Ukrainian-initiated Global Peace Summit in Switzerland last month -- must be the foundation of any peace deal.
Putin has said conditions for ending the war include Kyiv renouncing its desire to join NATO and ceding Crimea and four other occupied regions of Ukraine.
Orban told Michel in his letter that he did not put forth any proposal “and did not articulate any opinion on behalf of the European Council or the European Union.”
He said that, with regard to the peace formula presented by Zelenskiy, Putin again pointed out that Russia still considers relevant the document handed over during peace talks in April 2022 in Turkey, especially the part that specifies international security guarantees to be granted to Ukraine.
Orban’s letter also said Putin’s interpretation of the situation on the front line “differs substantially” from that of Zelenskiy’s.
The Russian leader believes that “time is not on the side” of Ukraine but on the side of the Russian forces. Putin made no reference to Russian casualties but said Russia estimates that Ukraine’s losses and casualties are between 40,000 and 50,000 soldiers per month, according to Orban.
Therefore, Putin was surprised that Zelenskiy rejected a temporary cease-fire, Orban said. Russia is “ready to consider any cease-fire proposal that does not serve the hidden relocation and reorganization of Ukrainian forces,” Orban’s letter said.
SEE ALSO: UN Security Council To Discuss 'Massive' Russian Attack That Killed Dozens In UkraineUkraine does not release data on casualties, but Zelenskiy said on February 25 that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the war to that point and rejected Moscow's much higher estimates of Ukrainian losses.
Orban’s letter also referred to a Chinese-Brazilian peace proposal that is under consideration by the Russian side. China has been promoting the six-point peace plan, which proposes an international peace conference "at a proper time" and calls for equal participation by both Ukraine and Russia.
Moscow is “ready to exchange views on it, provided that the framework of the peace talks is appropriate,” he said.
The summit in Switzerland considered Ukraine’s proposal for peace, and Kyiv hopes to hold a second summit later this year. China did not attend the first meeting.
After Orban's meeting with Xi in Beijing, he wrote a separate letter to Michel in which he said the talks "confirmed that China’s peace policy that is based on the principles of no expansion, no escalation, and no provocation will remain in place for the foreseeable future."
Orban told Michel that Xi considers it highly likely that the next round of international peace talks will take place before the end of the year. He added that Beijing understands that the precondition for this is the participation of both sides and said the Chinese interpret a statement by Zelenskiy that the meeting will be organized with the participation of Russia "as an official commitment to this effect."