The News
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took a swipe at Viktor Orbán’s self-described “peace mission,” in which the Hungarian Prime Minister has held meetings with Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Donald Trump about the need to bring the war in Ukraine to a swift end.
“If someone wants to make some trips to the capital of war, to talk and perhaps promise something against our common interests or at the expense of Ukraine or other countries, then why should we consider such a person?” Zelensky said at the European Political Community summit in the UK on Thursday.
“The EU and NATO can also address all their issues without this one individual.”
SIGNALS
Europe has widely condemned Orbán’s Russia overtures
European officials have denounced Orbán’s push for negotiations, saying he is promoting appeasement instead of a lasting peace. EU officials are boycotting meetings in Hungary, and accuse Orbán of falsely claiming to be representing the bloc in talks with Moscow and Beijing. Hungary is Ukraine’s biggest critic in Europe, flummoxing some analysts who are unsure about what Orbán has received in return for his unwillingness to cut ties with the Kremlin. One expert told Foreign Policy that “it has brought him nothing good so far.” Long-standing disputes with Ukraine, skepticism about Western values, and an energy dependence on Russia have all been touted as possible explanations for Hungary’s Russia-friendly policies, despite the country being a member of the EU and NATO.
Ukraine expecting to sign new security pacts
Ukraine is expected to sign new security agreements at the summit in the UK, Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post. Having already signed 23 bilateral security agreements, Kyiv is negotiating with nine more countries. The pacts largely bind Ukraine’s partners to maintaining their current levels of support, and to assisting Kyiv in building an army that can defend its country and prevent Russian aggression in the future. Even so, the deals “contain ambiguities and shortcomings that could undercut their primary purpose of deterring Russia,” a Ukrainian lawyer argued, noting that much of the language is nonbinding and lacking in specific targets for future levels of aid.
For UK, summit is a chance to reset relations with Europe
For the UK’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the gathering of 45 European leaders provides a chance to promote closer ties with Europe. Starmer plans to use the session as a “speed dating” opportunity with foreign leaders, British officials told the Financial Times, and the UK is also expected to discuss a possible security pact with the EU. So far, European leaders appear positive about the chance to rebuild some of the ties with the UK that Brexit severed. Ireland’s leader said the new government was a “gamechanger,” for the EU, while Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat said “we welcome the new tone of the British government and we look forward to engaging with it.”