Orban with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin (Ansa)
The war in Ukraine unleashed by Russia and which is about to enter its fourth year of conflict and the situation in the Middle East. These are the themes at the center of the conversation between Pope Leo and the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbánreceived on Monday morning in a private audience in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
Orban, on a visit to Rome where he is planning a less formal meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after the audience with the Pontiff he subsequently met the Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by Monsignor Paul Richard GallagherSecretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
«During the cordial conversation in the Secretariat of State, the solid bilateral relations and appreciation were underlined», explained the Holy See in a press release, «for the commitment of the Catholic Church in promoting the social development and well-being of the Hungarian community, with particular attention to the role of the family, the education and future of young people, as well as the importance of protecting the most vulnerable Christian communities. Ample space was also reserved for European issues, with particular attention to the conflict in Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East».
On the war in Ukraine, Orban’s position is well known: during last week’s European Council, in fact, Hungary did not sign the request (made to the EU Commission) to finance Ukraine over the next two years, leaving open the possibility of granting a loan based on frozen Russian assets. On that occasion, European leaders launched the 19th package of sanctions against Moscow, which had been subjected to Slovakia’s veto for days.
«The European Union counts for nothing. Donald Trump is wrong about Putin, I will go to him to get him to lift sanctions on Russia.” said Orban in conversation with Republic And Messenger on the sidelines of his visit to Rome, «we gave the Americans and Russians the possibility of resolving the war. Unfortunately, we don’t have a role. Europe is totally out of the picture”, continued Orban, explaining that “I will soon be with Trump to resolve the problem of oil sanctions”. On the meeting with Meloni, he explains that «the important point is the future of the European economy, because very little remains to be done about the war».
