Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to consider a ceasefire with Russia.
This appeal was made during Orbán's one-day visit to Kyiv, as reported by independent Ukrainian media outlet European Pravda on Tuesday.
This visit marks Orbán's first to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began.
During their talks, Orbán and Zelensky discussed the possibility of peace and Hungarian-Ukrainian relations, according to Orbán’s press chief.
At a joint press conference following their bilateral talks, Orbán asked Zelensky about the feasibility of initiating a ceasefire and starting negotiations with Russia. He suggested that a ceasefire would "speed up the pace of these negotiations" and help end the war in Ukraine.
A Frank Discussion
During the press conference, Orbán stated that he had not insisted on the ceasefire initiative and had listened to Zelensky's counterarguments.
"I am very grateful to the president for his frank opinion on this issue," Orbán said, promising to relay Zelensky's perspectives to other EU leaders.
While Zelensky did not directly address the ceasefire proposal at the press conference, he noted that Hungary had supported Ukraine's peace initiatives at a summit in Switzerland in June, demonstrating Hungary's "willingness to be effective" in ensuring "real long-term security."
Progress in Bilateral Relations
Despite Orbán's reputation as a close ally of Putin and his previous attempts to block EU aid to Ukraine, the talks with Zelensky appeared successful. Both leaders indicated progress toward future bilateral agreements.
"We want to improve relations between our countries," Orbán stated. "We want to sign a global cooperation agreement with Ukraine, similar to the agreements that we have with other neighbours of Hungary."
He added that Hungary was prepared to support the modernization of the Ukrainian economy and intended to help Ukraine during its EU presidency.
Zelensky also expressed optimism about future agreements with Hungary, announcing on his Telegram channel that the discussions could form the basis for a future agreement between the two countries.
