The Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban once again called on Ukraine and Russia to resume peace talks. He says that this must be done before the counteroffensive.
Telex writes about it.
“For a country whose population is a tiny fraction of the opposing sideʼs population to launch large-scale military attacks under such circumstances is bloodshed. We must do everything, even before starting a counteroffensive, to convince the parties of the need for a ceasefire and peace talks," Orbán noted.
According to him, Ukraineʼs counteroffensive will lead to great losses, and it is alleged that more will be achieved in peace negotiations than in military actions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Ukraine has already reacted to the words of the Hungarian Prime Minister. They said that peace talks with Russia can only take place after the withdrawal of Russian troops, and a ceasefire will allow the Russian Federation to prepare for a new attack.
"At the same time, we took into account Viktor Orbánʼs statement that it is difficult for him to be the only prime minister in the EU who advocates for peace. In order to alleviate this situation, we call on the head of the Hungarian government to finally start acting. For example, to condemn Russian aggression, to demand that Moscow end the war and return the Russian army to Russian territory, to join measures to isolate Russia internationally, not to undermine unity in the EU," the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleh Nikolenko noted.
- At the end of April, Zelensky stated that Hungaryʼs behavior and its relations with Russia do not match the status of a NATO member, and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijártó said that Hungarians have already paid "too high a price" for the war in Ukraine. Earlier in Hungary it was stated that Russiaʼs "approval" was needed for Ukraine to join NATO.
- In January 2023, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called Ukraine a "no manʼs land", and in April — "financially non-existent".
- Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Hungary has not provided any military aid to Ukraine, periodically blocks the allocation of funds to us in the EU and opposes anti-Russian sanctions. In November 2022, the Hungarian government decided to provide $195 million in financial aid to Ukraine.