EU cautiously welcomes Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest but experts remain sceptical

The European Commission cautiously welcomed nan announcement by US President Donald Trump to clasp talks pinch his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, successful Budapest successful nan coming 2 weeks to beforehand a imaginable extremity to nan warfare successful Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was speedy to state nan astonishment prime of Budapest to clasp nan gathering arsenic a vindication of his calls connected EU leaders to discuss pinch Moscow alternatively of confrontation arsenic nan full-scale penetration of Ukraine rages.

Orbán, who is adjacent to some Trump and Putin, exclaimed that "Hungary is nan land of PEACE" successful a station connected X connected Friday, adding that his state was "the only spot successful Europe" wherever specified a acme could return place.

The European Commission adopted a prudently affirmative reside astir nan gathering announcement.

"Any gathering that moves guardant conscionable and lasting bid successful Ukraine is welcome," Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said.

He added, nan EU remains committed to supporting Ukraine and to weakening Russia.

"It's agelong overdue for Russia to extremity its senseless and forbidden aggression against Ukraine. From nan EU side, we are doing everything to support Ukraine arsenic good arsenic weaken Russia's expertise to costs its war," Gill said.

While nan Commission welcomed nan announcement, elsewhere successful Brussels, nan temper remained sceptical, addressing nan adjacent relations betwixt Orbán and Putin.

At a property briefing astatine nan European Parliament pinch nan spokespersons of nan different parties, nan European People's Party and Renew Europe governmental groups voiced scepticism astir nan summit.

The European Parliament's Socialist and Democrats, Renew Europe and European Conservatives and Reformists highlighted nan request to correspond Ukraine's interests astatine nan table.

The spokesperson from nan Greens/EFA and nan Left pushed matters further by saying that Putin should beryllium arrested connected European ungraded for warfare crimes successful Ukraine.

From nan acold right, nan Europe of Sovereign Nations and Patriots for Europe welcomed nan talks.

"Budapest sends a clear message: nan logic of warfare tin beryllium overcome. Peace is built done dialogue, not sanctions," a spokesperson of nan Patriots, Ágnes Karándi, said.

European governmental analysts stay sceptical

The imaginable of a gathering betwixt Trump and Putin has been met pinch uncertainty among immoderate of Brussels' apical governmental experts who deliberation nan gathering is apt to create tensions wrong nan EU.

Dániel Hegedűs, nan location head of nan German Marshall Fund of nan US, told Euronews that nan anticipation of nan Budapest acme is simply a immense occurrence for nan Orbán authorities and a deliberate situation to nan unity of nan EU and its overseas and information policy.

"Providing this symbolic gift to nan astir illiberal authorities successful nan European Union that has been an outlier successful its overseas argumentation related to Russia and Ukraine, practically since nan outbreak of nan full-scale warfare successful Ukraine," Hegedűs said.

"This is simply a deliberate effort connected nan portion of nan US management to weaken EU unity and really to undermine nan existent mainstream position of nan European Union astir nan support of Ukraine and and really its punishment argumentation against Russia."

Hegedűs added that it's clear that Trump prefers a fragmented Europe alternatively than a unified 1 that is tin and fresh to enactment successful its ain interest.

Alberto Alemanno, a Jean Monnet Professor successful European Law astatine HEC Paris, agreed.

"It’s yet [more] grounds that Viktor Orbán is much loyal to Russia and US interests than to nan Union his state belongs to," he said.

The professor claimed Orbán is now acting arsenic a Trojan equine wrong nan EU, pinch a changeless boycott of nan EU's wide interest, and that this is becoming unsustainable.

"This gathering risks giving Orban nan authority to speak connected behalf of nan EU, while his individual stance connected Ukraine stands antithetical to nan Union. The optic will beryllium favorable to him, protector Kallas, and nan EU26, likewise to what he did erstwhile holding nan rotating presidency," Alemanno said.

Orbán opposed to Ukraine successful nan EU

During nan Hungarian Council presidency past year, Orbán launched what he called a bid ngo without coordinating pinch nan EU, and travelled to some Ukraine and Russia for talks pinch nan activity of some countries.

At nan European Political Community gathering successful Copenhagen earlier this month, Orbán rejected nan thought of amending nan EU's enlargement rules to facilitate Ukraine's accession talks.

The alleged Costa Plan suggested lifting nan unanimity required for nan opening of each negotiating chapter.

Changing nan rules besides requires unanimity, and Hungary will veto Ukraine's EU accession, according to Orbán.

"I told them, I do not agree, truthful this scheme is dead," Orbán said, accusing EU leaders of seeking confrontation pinch Russia.