26 EU leaders back Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin meet, Hungary stays away

Brussels, Aug 12 (IANS) As many as 26 leaders of the European Union issued a joint statement on Monday, highlighting their support for Ukraine ahead of the much-awaited meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban, however, decided to not support the statement, citing reservations about the idea.

In the statement, drafted by EU Council president Antonio Costa, the European leaders said that a "just and lasting peace" must uphold Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that borders "must not be changed by force."

"The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine," they said. "Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities."

The EU leaders welcomed Trump's efforts towards "ending Russia’s war of aggression" against Ukraine and achieving a just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine. They stated that a lasting peace is required with respect for international law, emphasising the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

During the past two days, the European Union has made a push for inclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the talks, Euro News reported. Any diplomatic solution, they said, must protect the security interests of Europe and Ukraine.

In the statement, the EU leaders hinted that the bloc is ready to provide further political, financial, and military support to Ukraine for its self defence and demanded security guarantees for war-torn nation. Furthermore, the leaders expressed support for Ukraine's path towards EU membership.

Meanwhile, Hungary said that it "does not associate itself" with the statement.

"Just four days ahead of the historic summit between President Trump and President Putin, the European Council sought to issue a statement in the name of all EU heads of state and government. Before the liberal-mainstream chorus begins its newest rendition of their favourite 'Putin’s puppet' tune, I decided to share why I could NOT support the statement on behalf of Hungary," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted on X.

Orban stated further: "The statement attempts to set conditions for a meeting to which leaders of the EU were not invited. The fact that the EU was left on the sidelines is sad enough as it is. The only thing that could make things worse is if we started providing instructions from the bench. The only sensible action for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, based on the example of the US-Russia meeting. Let's give peace a chance!"

On Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reaffirmed Hungary's stance that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine should be resolved through diplomacy instead of military confrontation, Xinhua News Agency reported. In a statement shared on Facebook, he stated that Hungary has consistently called for a ceasefire and diplomatic dialogue.

Szijjarto said Hungary sees the Trump-Putin summit as a potential step toward peace. He stated that he had discussed the upcoming meeting between Putin and Trump with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov over a phone-call.

--IANS

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