BUDAPEST, Hungary: During a press conference, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to declare a ceasefire in Ukraine.
He also asked the Russian president to come to Hungary for peace talks, which would involve heads of state from Ukraine, France and Germany, he added.
Putin’s reported response to the idea seemed to be “positive,” but Orban stressed that conditions would have to be met before talks could be held.
“The response was positive, but the Russian president said this had conditions. I cannot negotiate to meet those conditions, it should be him and the Ukrainian president agreeing on those,” Orban said.
During the press conference, Orban was also asked about recent images of hundreds of dead Ukrainians that have come out of Bucha. In response, he said given the era we are living in, an examination of the photos should be conducted.
However, he criticized Russia for starting the conflict with Ukraine and referred to Russia as the aggressor, stating, “This is a war that the Russians started, they attacked Ukraine, and it is aggression. This is the joint stance of the European Union, and Hungary shares that stance.”
He has also not banned the importation of Russian gas and oil, a sanction imposed by other countries.
Orban’s made his comments after being re-elected to his fourth term as Hungarian Prime Minister on April 3, after which Putin sent his congratulations.
Putin also said that he wanted to bring the two countries closer together and deepen their ties.
In a speech after his re-election, Orban called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky an “opponent.”
