Hungary’s Orbán slams EU statement on Ukraine peace talks as 'worthless'

Orbán posted this on X.

“This declaration is a sad testament of bad Brusselian leadership. While President Donald Trump and President Putin negotiate on peace, EU officials issue worthless statements,” said the Hungarian prime minister.

He was reacting to a joint declaration by the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, as well as France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, expressing support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.

“Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations. Ukraine should be provided with strong security guarantees. A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for a strong transatlantic security,” reads the EU statement.

Meanwhile, Orbán argued that a seat at the negotiation table “cannot be requested.”

“You have to earn it! Through strength, good leadership and smart diplomacy. The position of Brussels - to support killing as long as it takes - is morally and politically unacceptable,” he wrote.

Trump’s talks with Putin and Zelenskyy: what is known

On February 12, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

According to Trump, Putin agreed that both of them want “to stop the millions of deaths happening in the Russia-Ukraine war.”

While speaking to the media at the White House, Trump said that his meeting with Putin will most likely take place in Saudi Arabia, though he did not specify a possible date.

On the same day, a phone conversation between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump also took place. The Ukrainian president thanked Trump for his interest in what “we can do together,” while the U.S. president informed his Ukrainian counterpart about the details of his conversation with Putin.

Trump described his talk with Zelenskyy as “very good.”

On February 13, following the conversation between Trump and Putin, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Poland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ukraine, and the EU issued a joint statement after a meeting in Paris.

Kaja Kallas noted that the participation of both Europeans and Ukrainians is essential for any negotiations with Russia.