[ad_1]
Hungarian President Alexander Stubb has called a meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin “inappropriate.”
“Finland is not at war with Russia,” the president said. Alexander Stubb He made the comments at a news conference on Friday ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
Stubb was responding to a recent statement by a newly elected MEP Pekka Toveli (NCP) Finland is already at war with Russia. Toveli – a retired major general, former MP and head of the Finnish Defence Command’s BroadCast Unitedligence service – made the comments in a social media post on June 29.
But the president said that was not the case.
“At the same time, I would say that today the line between war and peace is like ‘a line drawn in the water,'” Stubb said, using a Finnish expression meaning blurred or unclear.
“That line is blurring, and certainly Russia is working on that,” Staab added.
Staab to meet with Biden
Staab further noted on Friday that Finland’s goal is that the decisions made at next week’s summit will build a bridge to Ukraine’s joining NATO.
“The message to Russia is clear that Ukraine is on the path to joining NATO,” Staab said, but he added that it remained difficult to assess the timetable for accession.
The Finnish president also said he looked forward to meeting with the US president Joe Biden “A few times” next week.
Earlier on Friday, Staab signed a defense cooperation agreement between Finland and the United States. Unanimous approval Parliament approved the deal on Monday. It will take effect on September 1.
Orban’s meeting with Putin ‘inappropriate’
Stubb also commented on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor OrbanMeeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in Moscow.
Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1. However, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Joseph BorelSaid that Orban’s meeting with Putin was not authorized by the European Council.
Staab called Orban’s behavior inappropriate at a press conference.
“Personally, I do not think that his behavior was appropriate. One must remember that he was not there to represent the European Union, but himself. I think that such actions in this case were inappropriate,” the president said.
Staab added that he hopes Putin will be able to use the meeting with Orban to his advantage, especially with a domestic audience.
[ad_2]
Source link
