Orban to Zelensky: Ceasefire Could Accelerate Pace of Negotiations with Russia

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday, July 2, for an official visit, marking his first visit since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs reported according to Interfax-Ukraine.

“Viktor Orban arrived in Kyiv this morning to discuss peace in Europe with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The talks will focus on opportunities for achieving peace, as well as current issues in Hungarian-Ukrainian bilateral relations,” Kovacs wrote on social network X.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban proposes to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to ensure a ceasefire for peace negotiations, Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reports.

“Peace is an important issue. The war you are currently living through intensely affects Europe’s security. We highly value all of Mr. Zelensky’s initiatives aimed at achieving peace. I told Zelensky that these initiatives take a lot of time. And due to international diplomacy rules, they are very complicated.

I asked Zelensky to consider whether it could be done differently: first ceasefire, then negotiate peace. Because a ceasefire could accelerate the pace of these negotiations,” Orban said at a press conference with Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday.

He also said he was “very grateful to Zelensky for his thoughts on this issue.”

Ukraine hopes for active participation from Hungary in preparing for the second Peace Summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this at a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Zelensky reminded that Hungary participated in the first peace summit and supported the summit’s communiqué.

“This indicates Hungary’s readiness to be effective in returning real long-term security both in our country and in our region and Europe as a whole. We discussed in detail how Hungary can further confirm its leadership in preparing for the second summit,” the president said.

According to him, Ukraine sees the possibility of organizing the second summit this year, and all preparatory work for this can be carried out in the coming months.

“We will be grateful to Hungary for its support and activity in this,” Zelensky added.

Ukraine Front Lines

Tags: Orban russia ukraine war Volodymyr Zelenskyy