At the VI Annual PEuCET Foundation Conference in Budapest on November 28, 2025, Jan Figel, former European Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society, former Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia, and Head of the Scientific Committee of the Clementy Schuman Heritage Foundation, President of FOREF Europe, Visiting Fellow of MCC delivered a major address on the prospects for peace in Europe ahead of a potential Trump–Putin Summit. His speech outlined the deepening crisis caused by the prolonged war in Eastern Europe and proposed a renewed West–East cooperation inspired by the original Schuman and Marshall Plans as a pathway toward lasting peace. Read the full speech below.

Before the Next Summit Trump-Putin in Budapest

Speech at the VI. Annual PEuCET Conference in Budapest, November 28, 2025

Pope Francis visited Budapest in 2022. Message of the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán then was that there are only two state entities in Europe sincerely supporting and working for peace: the Holy See and Hungary. Likewise, balanced and open relations of Hungary and political trust enabled to announce the next top US-RF Summit in the City of Budapest. So far there is no date for it.

1. Where we are concerning peace in Europe

But meeting announced in October was postponed because there are still critical questions around a potential peace agreement. 28-point Trump Plan was not acceptable for the Ukraine and Europe (Germany, UK, France). Geneva revised plan is not acceptable for Russia, because it refuses key requests of the RF on neutral status, security guarantees and reduction of Ukrainian military power and capability. Meetings going from Istanbul, Riyadh, Washington, Anchorage to Geneva and Moscow    actually are moving a lot in circle, without true, impactful progress.

Death toll and destruction in the East of Europe is growing every day and every night, for almost four years. Europe is in crisis with growing debts, inflation, loss of economic growth and competitiveness. The longer it takes, the worse are the consequences. Deep problems with illegal migration give rise to new parties. People are concerned by loss of stability and security. Media report about rise of violence and together with some academic institutions, “intellectual elites” and NGOs disseminate new ideologies. In general, it is difficult to find an accountable or wise political leaders.

All previous initiatives failed – PM Bennett, China-Brazil peace plan, Swiss summit, UA-RF negotiations in Saudi Arabia, Turkey… I was and remain convinced that solution for the war in Europe should come from Europe. After complicated and controversial negotiations in the latest weeks there is no early peace agreement on the visible horizon.

2. Is lasting peace in Europe possible?

Former Czech President V. Klaus speaks often about “lack of will for peace in Europe.” Jean Monnet, one of European Founding Fathers used to say: “Making Europe means making peace.” Where is the will, there is the road, as we know. But great scientist Viktor Frankl was more precise: “Where is the sense, there is a will.”

Current leadership of the EU does not present true sense for Europe as a community living in peace, interdependence, mutual cooperation. We tend to forget wisdom of Europe´s Founding Fathers and even roots of Europe. Roots are not the past; roots are the present.

I very much hope that peace initiative could come from the Central Europe (Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, …) Central Europe remembers better our common totalitarian past; it was often a battlefield between Western and Eastern powers. We do not have hidden or open imperial or neocolonial history or ambitions.

Smaller countries cannot pose a threat to big powers, but may help to unite them.

Symbolically, today is PM Viktor Orban in Moscow – negotiating on energy and discussing peace. They both matters, and are interdependent.

Concerning war and peace, basically there are only three options:

1. Continuity of war – further damages, devastation, killing up to collapse of one side (Ukraine). All consequences will be later worse for defeated party.
2. A catastrophe through the war escalation – tragedy of XX Century may be repeated, and due to vast reserves of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons it may cause an unprecedented devastation.
3. U-turn. Is it possible? 180 degrees turn represents a total change of the paradigm. Is it possible to make war in the East of Europe materially impossible and peace stable and lasting?

3. Peace scenario in the spirit of Schuman and Marshall

  The more initiatives and meetings failed, the more I am convinced that East of Europe can get dignified peace agreement through Schuman and Marshall Plan 2.0.

Original Schuman´s Plan was about making a new war in Europe impossible, to prevent a new war devastation. For the participating countries this project became a reality, existing for over 75 years now. Today we need an analogical and still a different plan. Turning confrontation of powers into their cooperation is in the interest of nations and their development. Leaders are coming and leaving, but nations remain. (Putin, Zelenskyi, Biden, Trump, …) With confrontation, third parties gain and grow in importance. (China). The cooperation of the East and West, of Moscow and Washington has been a precondition and a basis for of victory over Nazism and fascism in Europe. Equally, demise of communism and the fall of the Iron Curtain was achieved by non-violent way including dialogue between the West and East, between Washington and Moscow. Velvet revolutions over the cruel and violent communism have been a fruit of that understanding and cooperation.

Currently, I have the honor to moderate a private initiative (Clementy Foundation) to cultivate a new dialogue among púersonalities from the United States of America, the Federation of Russia, and the European Union. Meetings are held in the Vatican. Change of paradigm may not only overcome decades of confrontation, but also create conditions to establish a long-term peace in Eastern Europe and Euro-Atlantic area. Mutually beneficial cooperation can give rise to establishment of a large West-East Community from Anchorage in Alaska up to Vladivostok on Kamchatka through Europe and the Central Asia. War in such community may become impossible and unimaginable, like it was with the successful EU story since 1950. Such large zone of security, cooperation and prosperity on the Northern Hemisphere would represent an unparallel force for peace and stability in the whole world. The first political reactions on this vision were encouraging.

I am deeply convinced, that we need to work with the likeminded in Europe, America and Asia on Schuman and Marshall Plans 2.0. A common “West-East Community” shall be built by invitation of nations from the West and the East to a shared security architecture with shared ownership. Such joint invitation must include reconstruction of destroyed territories, and design a system of stability and subsequent prosperity, too. Community of practical solidarity may stem from common market with energy and energy infrastructure, natural resources, information technologies, AI and intellectual property (like the Community on Coal and Steal since 1950).

New shared security should be offered and guaranteed to all states of the Europe, North America and Central Asia. Like Europe´s Founding Fathers did: roots of a conflict must be eliminated, and conflict prevention for future lies in sharing resources and security.

Together with Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of democratic Germany, we may rightly say that “united Europe was a dream of few, a desire of many and became a necessity for all”. Innovation according Adenauer is not coming from new ideas, but from ability to see old ideas in the new light.  Schuman Plan from 1950 was an unprecedented political innovation. For many Europeans it was a utopia, for others a provocation, some in France considered it a betrayal. The unimaginable became a reality. This great and timely innovation supported by firm commitment of mature national leaders proved to be a real and credible road to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Europe!

Conclusion

Today we must be reminded again and equally, that peace is needed and beneficial, and that peace, security and prosperity for all is possible. Peace requires wisdom, courage, and perseverance in long-term and constructive effort. I am convinced that such creative effort of the likeminded people will prevail in the near future over the forces of conflict, violence and war. The sooner, the better.

https://mcc.hu/en/article/jan-figel-delivers-keynote-address-at-peucet-foundation-annual-conference