According to Russia’s “Sistema” investigative project, which cites anonymous European officials, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote a confidential letter to European Council President Charles Michel and the heads of EU member states following his visits to Ukraine and Russia.
It has been reported that on July 5, immediately after his visit to Moscow, the Hungarian Prime Minister arrived in Shusha and sent the letter from Azerbaijan in the evening. In the letter, Orban explained that he visited Kyiv and Moscow to “understand the positions of the parties.”
According to Orban, Moscow believes that time is on their side. Putin did not discuss the losses of the Russian army but assured that Ukraine loses approximately 40-50 thousand soldiers each month.
“Putin was surprised by the Ukrainian president’s rejection of a temporary ceasefire. According to the Russian president, they are ready to consider any proposal for a ceasefire that does not play a role in the secret relocation and regrouping of Ukrainian forces,” the letter states.
The Hungarian Prime Minister wrote that both Kyiv and Moscow are only ready for negotiations if both parties participate. Putin also convinced him of the relevance of the “Istanbul agreements,” but did not answer questions about the Ukrainian president’s peace formula and the summit in Switzerland.
Orban urged Europe to “take initiative,” noting that everyone in the United States is now focused on preparing for the presidential elections:
“If we cannot halt or stop this process (the war – ed.), then in the next two months, we will see even more dramatic losses and military events on the front line.”