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Ahead of the Alaska summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, European Union states, except Hungary, on Tuesday, reiterated the need for Ukraine's freedom to decide its own future.
"The people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.
Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities," European leaders wrote in a joint statement.
They noted, however, that Hungary "does not associate itself" with the statement.
They welcomed Trump's efforts to end the war and achieve a "just and lasting peace."
"A just and lasting peace that brings stability and security must respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and international borders must not be changed by force," they noted.
The leaders reaffirmed that they will continue to provide political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support to Ukraine while upholding restrictive measures against Russia.
"A Ukraine capable of defending itself effectively is an integral part of any future security guarantees," they stressed, voicing "readiness" to further contribute to security guarantees.
They further said that they will continue to support Ukraine on its path toward EU membership.
https://x.com/PM_ViktorOrban/status/1937622023397687631
On Hungary's behalf, Prime Minister Viktor Orban explained on X why they do not support the statement "before the liberal-mainstream chorus begins its newest rendition of their favorite 'Putin’s puppet' tune."
"The statement attempts to set conditions for a meeting to which leaders of the EU were not invited," Orban said, describing the fact that the EU was "left on the sidelines" as "sad."
He noted that if they start "providing instructions from the bench," it could make things "worse."
"The only sensible action for EU leaders is to initiate an EU-Russia summit, based on the example of the U.S.-Russia meeting," Orban added.
The statement followed an informal videoconference of EU foreign ministers on Monday that discussed recent developments ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the U.S. state of Alaska on Friday.
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