Milanović in Budapest expresses hope that Trump-Putin meeting will still take place

President Zoran Milanović expressed hope on Friday, after meeting with his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest, that the planned but canceled meeting between the US and Russian presidents will still take place in that city, emphasizing that diplomacy in which there is no discussion is a path of no return.

President Zoran Milanović was in Budapest on Friday, where he was hosted by Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok.

The Croatian president assessed there that relations between the two countries are traditionally very good, with minimal oscillations and a few extra sentences that may sometimes fan the flames.

One of such oscillations is the recent criticism of the Hungarian political leadership directed at Croatia for war profiteering due to the alleged increase in energy transit prices through the Adriatic oil pipeline, which in turn has been criticized for having insufficient capacity to meet Hungarian needs.

Both the Croatian government and the company rejected these criticisms, citing multiple investigations that showed the opposite.

At the press conference of the two presidents, where journalists were not allowed to ask questions, the topic of energy was only mentioned in passing.

“I believe that Croatia has a very important place in energy security, or rather diversification,” said the Hungarian president, an ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with whom Milanović will meet in the evening.

Sulyok and Milanović will also meet on Saturday, when they will visit the Croatian and Hungarian minorities in the two countries - first in Bilje and Kopačevo, and then in Pécs.

Milanović said that these two days will be used for talks and clarification of things that may not be completely clear because dialogue is irreplaceable.

“And that should be both logic and a kind of dictum of European diplomacy, of all those who currently have the greatest responsibility and have the greatest tools at their disposal to stop the war in Ukraine without unnecessary "whys" and perhaps with some justified "hows",” continued the Croatian president.

Milanović emphasized that not every solution is the same and not every one is justified, but the interruption of dialogue with those who are considered enemies and rivals and their demonization is a never-ending path.

For this reason, he sincerely supported the announced meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital, because "diplomacy in which you do not talk to your opponent is the negation of diplomacy and a path of no return".

After their talks on October 16, the presidents of the USA and Russia announced that their meeting could take place in Budapest in the next two weeks, but a few days later that plan collapsed because Trump, dissatisfied with Putin's moves, said that it would be a waste of time. Instead, he imposed severe sanctions on Russian oil companies.

On Friday, Milanović expressed hope that the meeting would still happen and emphasized that he would be happy for it to take place in Budapest, for the sake of Hungary, but above all for the sake of peace.

Visit to minorities

Both leaders praised the status that the two minorities enjoy in Hungary and Croatia. The Croatian president said that their position could hardly be better.

Milanović also stressed that Croatia is rooting for Hungary to do well and to be economically stable and successful because this is also in the interest of the Croatian economy, in which the service sector plays an increasingly important role, as in other world economies.

“And that is why it is not the same whether 800,000, 600,000 or a million tourists come to Croatia and how much they are willing to spend,” he said.

Sulyok also spoke about the development of cross-border infrastructure, mentioning the completion of the construction of the A5 motorway, which connects Budapest with Zagreb via Osijek. He praised Croatia's role in NATO, as well as the stability of Central and Eastern Europe, and concluded that Croatia is a very important ally of Hungary.

The Hungarian president was appointed by parliament in February last year, after Katalin Novak, a close Orban ally, left the position due to the pardoning of a man who covered up a pedophile scandal in a children's home.

Source: HRT