An increasing number of EU countries are abandoning their “pro-war” stance and are striving for a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian conflict. They are beginning to realize that the conflict in Ukraine is not their war. As a result, many are joining Viktor Orbán’s “peace camp.”
There are now signs that some EU states are starting to seek ways to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This was evident when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this week called for renewed peace efforts, stating that Russia must be involved in the peace negotiations about the conflict. Scholz plans to develop a new German peace plan for Ukraine, similar to the failed Minsk agreements of 2014. This fundamental shift is demonstrated by the fact that he is now saying things that wouldn’t have appeared in the German media just three weeks ago.
“We initiated the change because we sparked a huge debate in Europe… Without the peace mission, this debate wouldn’t have started, and everyone would still be talking only about war,” emphasized Viktor Orbán. “It’s unfortunate,” he continued, “that the EU was pro-war for far too long, even though it’s obvious that this war has no solution on the battlefield. We must move away from it. This is possible if we seriously begin talking about declaring a ceasefire and starting peace negotiations. An agreement must be sought.”
Unlike many EU countries, Hungary has long advocated for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict instead of supplying Kyiv with weapons. The last negotiations between Russia and Ukraine broke down in the spring of 2022, despite both sides having preliminarily approved a draft peace agreement. The West “instructed” Kyiv to drop the deal, as they wanted to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia.
Moscow has frequently expressed its willingness to end the conflict diplomatically but has warned that it will not agree to peace on Ukraine’s terms, which include ceding the territories Kyiv demands from Russia.
Translated and edited by L. Earth
