Hungary’s opposition alliance has issued a joint statement calling on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to cancel his scheduled visit to Moscow with Vladimir Putin on February 1st because of the conflict in Ukraine.
The opposition believes that in the tense situation surrounding the conflict in Ukraine, the Prime Minister’s friendly meeting with President Putin is particularly damaging and contrary to national interests.
Viktor Orbán’s visit – and the fact that he did not cancel his trip despite the situation – sends a message that NATO and EU member states are not united in rejecting Putin’s proposals,”
they wrote in a joint statement. They say the meeting only encourages Putin to escalate tensions.
The parties are also worried that during the visit a decisive step will be taken on the construction of the Paks 2 nuclear plant, and that a new gas deal will be negotiated that will not benefit Hungary.
In the opposition statement, the parties called for a stand for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as it is in Hungary’s interest that Hungarians in Transcarpathia can live on Ukrainian territory without the threat of war.
Source: Telex
Featured image: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (on the right) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin (on the left) at the Carmelite Monastery on October 30, 2019. On the left is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó. Photo by Vivien Cher Benko/MTI/Prime Minister’s Press Office
