VIENNA, July 2. /TASS/. The new European Parliament faction that has been announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban may take a constructive stance on the conflict around Ukraine, Gyorgy Varga, Hungarian expert in international relations and former head of an OSCE mission to Russia, told TASS.

"I think that the parties (that will join the faction - TASS) maintain a very constructive position on the current Ukrainian conflict, calling for an end to military operations and the launch of talks. I believe the establishment of such a faction will benefit Russia in the sense that it will help improve relations once the conflict is resolved," the expert pointed out.

He described the parties of the future faction as "supporters of peace and dialogue."

"They respect the values and traditions of other countries, as well as their history and lifestyle. Every nation has the right to decide how to live. These parties oppose the continuation of war in Europe. Talks need to be launched as soon as possible. In their view, Europe has no reason to be interested in self-destruction. An economic decline is underway due to the war and its funding. These parties don’t want to fund war, especially outside the EU," Varga added.

According to the diplomat, Europe "is feeling the effects of war," which is impacting "the economy, the way of thinking and social issues."

On June 30, Austria’s opposition Freedom Party announced the creation of a patriotic alliance with Orban’s Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Alliance and the Czech Republic’s Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) led by ex-Prime Minister Andrej Babis. All three parties are represented in the European Parliament but are unable to form a faction without other political forces. Creating a faction or a group in the European Parliament requires at least 23 lawmakers from at least seven countries.