Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the greatest opportunity in Hungary’s European Union presidency will be a chance “to take Europe closer to peace”.
Speaking on Hungarian public television after taking over the rotating EU presidency from Belgium in Brussels earlier in the day, PM Orbán said the war in Ukraine was currently the greatest challenge for Europe, but “if we are thinking about the future of Europe, we cannot overlook America”. Noting that US presidential candidate Donald Trump has pledged to put an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, Orbán said if Trump won “there would at least be a ceasefire”. Europe must be prepared for a situation when “sooner or later the Americans and the Russians hold talks,” PM Orbán said, adding that the most important questions would be “where will Europe be in all this and who will promote its interests … and which interests?” Hungary cannot answer those questions, PM Orbán said, adding that as holder of the EU presidency, however, “it will table proposals and support the decisions of 27 leaders”. “We will be present at all locations of importance for Europe, look at every situation and present reports to Europe’s leaders,” he added.