MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is a more suitable candidate for EU special representative for the negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis than Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Konstantin Basyuk, deputy head of the Federation Council’s Committee on Defense and Security has told TASS.
Earlier, Politico, citing sources, reported that EU countries are discussing the possibility of appointing a special representative for the negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement, who could conduct dialogue with the Russian side on behalf of the community. The president of Finland is among the possible candidates for this role. "Regarding the candidacy of the 'hot-blooded Finnish guy,' if I'm not mistaken, he was one of the first to speak last spring about the need for moral preparation for restoring relations with Russia. Apparently, Stubb is at the forefront of this preparation. Europe already considers his morale and willpower sufficient. It seems to me that the most acceptable candidate is still Viktor Orban," Basyuk said.
Among Orban's strengths, the senator cited his good relationship with the US president, his pragmatism, and the fact that he "has not been notorious for rabid Russophobia." However, Basyuk believes this candidate is unlikely to be accepted by European bureaucrats. Experts cite Stubb's only strength as a negotiator his good relationship with Trump, the senator noted.
"Russia is always ready and open to negotiations. However, strong doubts about Europe's agency, and most importantly, about the genuine readiness of key European leaders and their interest in a peace settlement in Ukraine, hardly make Europeans desirable negotiators in principle," Basyuk noted. So far, the Europeans have been only effectively disrupting the negotiations, he added.