Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected talks on a deal with Russia without Kiev’s approval after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Russian President Vladimir Putin as Ukrainian forces continue to fight the Russian-led invasion. .
Zelensky attended the Summit of the European Political Community held at Blenheim Palace, United Kingdom.
In this summit, Kosovo was represented by the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, who held separate meetings with European leaders, including the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Osmani said after the summit that Serbia, together with Russia, are trying to destabilize Kosovo and the entire region.
Upon reaching the summit, Zelensky immediately asked those present to “maintain unity in Europe because unity always leads to making strong decisions”.
Zelensky’s remarks come as Orban – who also attended the summit – embarked on what he described as a “mission of peace”, when he visited Moscow, Kiev, Beijing and then Florida, where he met with former US President Donald Trump.
These visits angered most European leaders, who distanced themselves from Orbán’s visits, as the Hungarian leader has acknowledged that he does not have the authority to act on behalf of other European Union states, even though Hungary currently holds the bloc’s presidency.
“If someone in Europe tries to solve issues behind the backs of others or at the expense of others, if someone wants to make visits to the war capital or speak, perhaps promising something that is against our common interests or at the expense of Ukraine or other countries, why should we consider such a person”, said Zelensky during the summit on July 18.
“The EU and NATO can address their interests without this person,” he added.
Trump has suggested that if he wins the US presidential election in November, he will resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict within a day. He has not indicated how he could achieve such a thing, but many European leaders have expressed fear that the former US president could agree with Putin on a peace plan without consulting Kiev.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Western aid to Ukraine should be a joint effort between North America and Europe.
At the summit, Zelensky called on Western allies to allow his country to use Western weapons to carry out attacks deep inside Russian territory, particularly on air bases.
The new Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer, in a press conference after the end of the summit, said that “we will stand with Ukraine as long as necessary”.
He described the summit as “very successful and productive”, where the leaders, according to him, pledged to stand together with Ukraine. /REL
