Ukraine war: Hungary’s Orban calls on Zelensky to declare ceasefire to speed up peace talks

“A ceasefire with a deadline would provide an opportunity to accelerate peace talks. I have discussed this possibility with the President and am grateful for his honest answers and negotiations.”

Zelensky, who spoke before Orban, did not respond to these comments.

The Ukrainian head of state spoke about the possibility of a comprehensive bilateral cooperation agreement between Ukraine and Hungary.

Unlike many other European leaders, Orban had not visited Kyiv since the Russian invasion in February 2022 and had publicly criticized Europe’s financial and military aid, blocking a 50 billion euro ($53 billion) aid package for weeks.

The nationalist politician also sharply criticized the EU’s initiative to start formal accession negotiations with Kyiv – although he abstained and did not veto – and was accused of maintaining good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Orban, who has been in power since 2010, met with Putin at a regional summit in Beijing in October 2023, becoming the first EU head of state or government to do so since the war began.

Hungary openly rejects sanctions against Russia, but has so far only tried to delay the EU’s measures, not to block them entirely.

The Kremlin had previously stated on Tuesday that it did not expect any significant results from the visit, but described Orban as a “tough” politician who vehemently defends his country’s interests.

The visit to Ukraine comes a day after Hungary took over the EU Council Presidency for the next six months, giving the Central European state significant influence over the bloc’s agenda and priorities for the rest of the year.

Orban said he would report to EU prime ministers on his talks with Zelenskyj “so that the necessary European decisions can be taken.”

Zelensky said the timing of the visit – shortly after Hungary took over the EU Council Presidency – was symbolic.

“This is a clear sign of our common European priorities and the importance of bringing a just peace to Ukraine,” he said, calling on European countries to maintain their military support.

Although Hungary shares a border with Ukraine, the country has taken in significantly fewer refugees than most EU members.

Orban’s visit came as Russian forces killed one person and injured seven others in the partially occupied southern region of Kherson.

Moscow has claimed to have captured a number of villages in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks.

Since the beginning of the war, relations between Orban and Zelenskyj have been frosty.

After his re-election victory in April 2022, Orban said the Ukrainian president was an “opponent” he was able to defeat during the election campaign.

Zelensky had personally criticized Orbán for his lack of support for Kyiv in the days following the Russian invasion – a stance that appears to have hardened in the third year of the war.

In December, Zelenskyy visited the Hungarian head of state at the inauguration of Argentine President Javier Milei for what he called an “open” discussion.

Videos circulated on the Internet showing the two engaged in a tense exchange of words, with Orban standing with his back to the wall and Zelenskyj in front of him.

Last week, the two were again filmed having a brief, lively exchange on the sidelines of an EU Council meeting in Brussels.

09:43

Two years after the war in Ukraine: diseases, displacement and cries for help

Two years after the war in Ukraine: diseases, displacement and cries for help

Due to its membership in the EU and NATO, Hungary has enormous influence on Western support for Ukraine.

This makes it possible to thwart, delay, weaken or completely block initiatives and financial resources to support Kyiv.

After a phone call in May, Zelensky said: “Hungary’s position is important for us when it comes to bringing peace and common regional security closer.”

According to Ukrainian officials, negotiations for a substantive face-to-face meeting between the two have been going on for months.

Tensions between Kyiv and Budapest existed even before the Russian invasion, and Hungary was angry about Ukraine’s language policy.

More than 100,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Ukraine, most of them in the western region of Transcarpathia, which was part of Hungary until the end of World War I.

Additional reporting from Reuters