The Hungarian Prime Minister, who has assumed the six-month presidency of the EU, visited Kyiv and proposed a quick ceasefire to facilitate an end to the war with Russia. The Ukrainian president’s response: “There can only be a just peace.” The Russian president meets Xi Jinping and Erdogan in Kazakhstan
By: Gianmarco Murroni – Vatican News
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The Hungarian presidency of the European Union began with a surprise move: Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s first visit to Kyiv. “The goal is to contribute to solving the challenges facing the EU. That’s why my first trip was to Ukraine,” Orban declared. Zelensky, on the other hand, invited Hungary and its Prime Minister “to join efforts towards organizing a new peace summit” following the one in June in Switzerland. The Ukrainian leader had previously rejected the idea of a ceasefire, believing that Moscow would take advantage to strengthen its position: his plan involves the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the country and the payment of damages caused by the invasion.
Relations
Orban, who arrived in Kyiv with the hope of “putting past discussions behind us,” reassured Zelensky that he would “do everything possible to help Ukraine.” Describing Orban’s visit, Zelensky said that “common European priorities and the need to bring a just peace to Ukraine” were on the table, along with the request to maintain “at a sufficient level the military aid provided by Europe to Kyiv.” The Hungarian Prime Minister has always opposed such support: in recent months, he had lifted a last-minute veto blocking a 50 billion package. Thanks to Orban’s visit, Zelensky said, “the relationship between Ukraine and Hungary will be completely different.”
Russia meets China and Turkey
Meanwhile, Russian President Putin arrived in Astana to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. The permanent members are Kazakhstan, the host country this year, India, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran as of last year. Today and tomorrow, as stated in a Kremlin release, “the leaders of SCO member countries will discuss the state and prospects for further deepening multifaceted cooperation within the organization and improving its activities.” Putin also planned to have bilateral meetings with several leaders at the summit. Meetings are expected with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish President Erdogan between today and tomorrow.
Missile Exchange
On the ground, there is still a missile exchange between Russia and Ukraine. A Russian attack on the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region left 4 dead and 10 injured. The governor stated that the victims were three women and one man, with two minors aged 9 and 17 among the injured. In the Russian region of Bryansk, however, air defense systems shot down four Ukrainian drones, with no reported casualties or significant damage.
