BUDAPEST, August 12. /TASS/. European Union leaders who appear miserable and weak when compared to the Russian and US presidents should wake up and take the initiative in resolving the Ukrainian conflict, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday.
Commenting on the EU statement ahead of the Putin-Trump talks scheduled for August 15 in Alaska, Orban said that the Ukrainian conflict "is a European problem that must be solved by Europe, but it does nothing about it."
Instead, he noted that EU leaders merely try to give advice when "two strong men - the American and Russian presidents - sit down at the negotiating table," making the Europeans look "miserable and weak" by comparison, Orban said in an interview with the Hungarian television.
"This conflict is happening in our own backyard. Europe needs to wake up and take the initiative into its own hands," the prime minister stressed, explaining why he refused to join the EU leaders’ joint statement. According to him, Europeans "need a Russia-EU summit, not commentaries on a Russia-US summit."
The prime minister also added that there was another reason he once again distanced himself from the EU’s common position. In their statement the EU leaders supported Ukraine’s intention to access the bloc, while Hungarian citizens recently voted against such a move in a referendum.
"The Hungarian people have said they do not want to be in the European Union together with Ukraine and therefore do not support its accession," the prime minister explained.
When asked whether any other European countries share Hungary’s view, Orban replied: "We are never alone. We are the only ones who say it out loud, but many others think the same way."
Speaking about his expectations for the upcoming meeting between the Russian and US presidents, Orban expressed confidence that it would significantly reduce the risk of a new world war.