European Union Foreign Affairs and Security Policy High Representative Josep Borrell said on Friday that the EU's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine excludes official contacts between it and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Borrell's statement came in reaction to media reports that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will travel to Russia and meet with Putin, days after Hungary took over the European Council presidency.
Borrell said Orban's visit will take place "exclusively in the framework of the bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia" and that Hungary's Council presidency "does not entail any external representation of the Union." He echoed the words of Council President Charles Michel, saying that Orban has not received a mandate from the Council to visit Moscow.
