Ukraine should not wait for Moscow to withdraw its troops before starting peace talks, the Hungarian premier said on his surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán proposed the idea of an immediate cease-fire to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their negotiations in Kyiv, Orbán said following the talks.
“The rules of international diplomacy are slow and complex. I asked the President to consider whether it would be possible to reverse the order and to speed up the peace negotiations with a swift ceasefire,” Orbán said, according to his press release. “A ceasefire tied to a time limit which creates an opportunity for speeding up the peace talks.”
Zelenskyy did not make any public comment on Orbán’s suggestion.
The idea of an immediate cease-fire is nothing new, with Orbán — considered Russia’s closest ally within the EU after repeatedly obstructing efforts to support Kyiv — having backed the idea since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. But Zelenskyy has previously publicly denounced the idea, saying that “a pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war.”
“A pause would play into [Russia’s] hands. It might crush us afterward,” the president said in January. Zelenskyy would only talk to Russia if Vladimir Putin withdrew his troops from the occupied territories of Ukraine, he said.
Orbán’s visit to Kyiv came a day after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.
“The war in which you are now living has a very strong impact on the security of Europe,” Orbán said, adding that he did not insist on his initiative and accepted Zelenskyy’s arguments.
“I am very grateful to the president for his frank opinion on this issue,” the prime minister said, adding that Hungary “highly appreciates all initiatives for the sake of peace.”
Zelenskyy avoided referring to Orbán’s position in his speech and his press release but stressed that Hungary supported Ukraine’s peace initiatives at the Switzerland summit. “This shows Hungary’s readiness to work effectively for the return of real long-term security,” Zelenskyy said.
Following negotiations between the two leaders, Zelenskyy and Orbán announced plans to work on an agreement on bilateral relations, including trade, infrastructure and energy.
The Hungarian state will also fund the opening of a Ukrainian-language school in Budapest. “It is important for us that Ukrainians feel at home in Hungary,” Orbán added.
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