Orban asked Zelensky for a ceasefire and peace talks with Russia during his visit to Kyiv

During talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban proposed the idea of ​​an immediate ceasefire, but did not insist on it.

This is the first one Visit of the Prime Minister of Hungary to Ukraine after the start of a full-scale war.

Orban and Zelensky said they want a broad cooperation agreement. Key points from the talks the media reported after the press conference:

1. Hungary is ready to support the modernization of the Ukrainian economy;
2. Ukraine and Hungary are preparing an agreement on bilateral relations;
3. Hungary intends to help Ukraine during its presidency of the council EU.

Following the conclusion of bilateral talks on July 2, writes “European Pravda”, the Hungarian leader admitted in statements to the press that proposed to his Ukrainian colleague an immediate ceasefire on the line of contact with Russian troops that currently existsHe stressed that he is not opposed to Ukrainian plans to end the war, but he believes that they are taking too long to implement:

“I told Mr. President that his initiatives take a long time because of the rules of international diplomacy. So I asked Mr. President to think about whether it is possible to do something a little different: stop the fire and then negotiate with Russia, because a ceasefire would speed up the pace of these negotiations.”

But Orban stressed that did not insist on his initiative and accepted the Ukrainian argumentspromising to pass them on to other EU leaders:

“I am very grateful to the president for his frank views on this issue.”

Vladimir Zelensky, the publication notes, avoided this question in his speech, but noted that Hungary supported Ukraine's peace initiatives at the summit in Switzerland:

“Hungary took part in the first Peace Summit and supported the summit communiqué, and this shows Hungary's readiness to be effective in order to restore real long-term security.”

Ahead of his visit to Kyiv, Viktor Orban gave an interview to M1, where, when asked what Hungary could do during its presidency of the EU Council to end the war in Ukraine, he said that “the first steps to promote peace will be taken on July 2“:

“If you look at tomorrow's press, you will already see the first steps.”

According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, “the Americans cannot be left out” when it comes to the future of the EU and the war between Ukraine and Russia. He believes that the EU will have to “prepare for a situation where sooner or later the Russians and Americans will come to an agreement with each other”:

“Where will Europe be here? Who will represent your interests? What are your interests?”

He added that the Hungarian presidency cannot answer these questions on its own. Viktor Orban explained that he arrived in Ukraine almost immediately after the start of Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union in order to better understand how to help the Ukrainian state. He said this at a bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. Hungarian PM calls war in Ukraine the most important issue for Europe today and expressed confidence that it would remain so during the next six months of Hungary's Presidency of the EU Council.

Meanwhile, the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin expects nothing from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's trip to Kyiv, quotes his Russian agency Interfax. According to the Russian ruler's spokesman, Budapest had not contacted Moscow before the Hungarian prime minister's visit to Kyiv and assured that the Kremlin “expects nothing from this visit”:

“It is clear that Hungary, which has assumed the EU presidency in this period, must of course fulfill its functions. Therefore, in this case, I think that the obligations in terms of Brussels' interests will prevail, and not in terms of national interests.”

The Kremlin press secretary noted that Orban “is well known as a politician who is quite tough in defending the interests of his country.”

Orban has been an outspoken critic of Western aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and has the “warmest relations” with Vladimir Putin of any EU leader. Last year, Orban told the Russian president that Hungary had never wanted to confront Russia. In early 2024, it took weeks for EU leaders to override the Hungarian prime minister’s veto of €50 billion ($53.67 billion) in new aid to Ukraine. His trip to Kyiv, his last visit more than a decade ago, opened a new chapter in the two countries’ relationship. notes Reuters.

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