BUDAPEST, October 16. /TASS/. Hungary intends to persuade the leaders of other European countries at the upcoming EU summit in Brussels on October 23-24 of the need to start negotiations with Russia, following the example of the US, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
"Hungary has counterproposals," Orban said, speaking in Budapest at a meeting of Hungarian minority organizations abroad. According to him, "Hungary's position is that Europe should do the same as the US, that is, negotiate" a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. "The Hungarian proposal is that the EU should not just sit in the room, but should conduct negotiations with Russia independently," the prime minister explained.
He also noted that "if European leaders had not prevented US President [Donald Trump] from conducting peace talks, an agreement between Russia and Ukraine would already have been concluded." "Those who make decisions in the EU are implementing a military strategy, and most countries are part of this strategy, wanting to turn the economy into a military economy. This is the everyday reality of European politics," Orban stated, adding that these issues will be discussed at an EU leaders' meeting in Brussels in a week.