BUDAPEST, July 5. /TASS/. Budapest realizes that just because it holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, that does not grant it the authority to hold talks with Russia and Ukraine on behalf of the EU, but it will still push the parties towards peace, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

He agreed that the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU "does not give it the right to hold talks on someone’s behalf." "However, I don’t actually need a mandate: I am simply visiting places where a war is going on, which could affect Hungary, and I ask questions. This is what I did at the meeting with [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky, asking him where his red line lies," the Hungarian premier told the Kossuth radio station.

"It’s impossible to do that from Brussels; steps need to be taken to achieve peace," Orban stressed. He believes that Hungary "can be a tool in the hands of those who seek peace." According to him, the parties to the conflict must be persuaded to embark "on a long journey that can lead to a ceasefire and peace talks."

On July 2, Orban visited the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where he met with Zelensky and suggested that Ukraine should announce an immediate ceasefire and negotiate with Russia. Following Orban’s trip, European media outlets assumed that he might make a visit to Moscow on July 5. However, European Council President Charles Michel said later that Hungary did not have an EU mandate to hold talks with Ukraine and Russia.