Right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stressed at a press conference in Budapest on Wednesday that Hungary will do everything possible to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine. He spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
Orbán emphasized that he had proposed that the presidents of Ukraine and France – Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron – and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meet in Budapest. This is not a peace negotiation, but an agreement on an immediate ceasefire. Reactions were positive, but there were conditions for an immediate ceasefire.
What is happening in Ukraine is a war started by the Russians, an aggression. This is the position of the EU and, therefore, also of Hungary, explained Orbán, who the opposition and Zelenskyj accused of being too close to Russia. Atrocities against the civilian population in Ukraine needed to be investigated and those responsible identified. But in today’s world, you have to be very careful about what you believe, because it’s easy to falsify, said the prime minister.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has a “bad habit” because he wants to tell everyone what to do. Zelenskyy should stop doing that, especially when he asks for help, Orbán pointed out. When asked, he emphasized that he did not want to expel any Russian diplomats from Hungary.