Ukraine conflict could drag on
The Ukraine conflict could drag on and grow even more brutal, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned, citing a deep rift between the US and EU on how to end it. Recent military activity suggests escalation rather than a push for peace, he added.
Moscow and Kiev have held two rounds of direct peace talks in the past three weeks, leading to several agreements, such as large-scale prisoner exchanges. However, the talks were followed by intensified Ukrainian drone attacks, which Russia said were aimed at sabotaging peace efforts. Russia responded with retaliatory strikes on military infrastructure targets in Ukraine.
'The military actions that have taken place in recent days signal that the war will be longer and more brutal,' Orban said in a social media post on Monday. He claimed that divisions within NATO are making the situation worse, as US President Donald Trump pushes for peace while EU 'war hawks' want the conflict to continue.
'We have to face the fact that the transatlantic unity has broken up,' Orban said, arguing that 'there has never been such a gap' between pro-peace and pro-war forces within the military bloc.
Orban said Hungary rejects the EU's militaristic approach and will 'remain on the side of peace,' even if this leads to 'a louder debate with the Brussels bureaucrats, intent on the continuation of the war.'
Hungary has repeatedly clashed with Brussels over the EU's Ukraine policy. Orban has condemned the bloc's arms and financial support for Kiev, and has promoted independent peace efforts. He has also voiced strong support for Trump's efforts to mediate between Kiev and Moscow. In a separate post on Monday, Orban suggested that only an agreement between the US and Russia could bring peace.
'It's a misconception to think that peace could come as a result of a Russian-Ukrainian negotiation. It will never happen,' Orban stated. 'The only way to make peace is a Russian-American agreement. And not only on the conflict… but on trade, energy, investments.'
Russia and Ukraine exchanged memorandums proposing ways to resolve the conflict at the second round of talks on Monday, although according to the texts published online, their key demands remain at odds. Both sides are now reviewing each other's proposals.
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