Orban in Kyiv called for a “ceasefire” and negotiations with Russia

Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, during his visit to Kyiv on July 2, called for a "ceasefire" and negotiations with the aggressor country of the Russian Federation.

He said this at a press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He noted that the war in Ukraine has a very intense effect on the security of Europe.

"We highly appreciate all the initiatives of Mr. President Zelensky for achieving peace. These initiatives take a lot of time. It is precisely because of the rules of international diplomacy that they are complicated, and I asked Mr. President to think about whether it is possible to go a little differently. To take a break. Cease fire and then resume negotiations," he said.

Orban added that he was grateful to Zelensky "for his frank opinion on this issue", without specifying how exactly the Ukrainian president reacted to this request.

During his speech, Zelensky did not comment on the request for a ceasefire, but emphasized that Hungary supported Ukraineʼs peace initiatives at the summit in Switzerland.

"Hungary took part in the first Peace Summit and supported the communique of the summit, and this speaks of Hungaryʼs readiness to be effective for the return of real long-term security. We discussed in detail how Hungary can further demonstrate its leadership in the preparation of the second summit," said Zelensky.

It should be noted that in a separate video of the talks between Orban and Zelensky, the Hungarian prime minister called the war "Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine."

• On July 2, Orban came to Kyiv for the first time since 2012. This visit took place the day after Hungary began its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.