Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that his visit to Kyiv was not to convince Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but to find out “where the limits are” regarding Kyiv’s position on the peace process.
In an interview with the conservative Swiss newspaper Die Weltwoche, the Hungarian prime minister said that he had not intended to make any concrete proposals to Zelensky and that his task had been to gain a better understanding of the Ukrainian president’s position and his red lines in the peace talks.
Orbán confirmed that, as head of government of the country currently holding the rotating EU presidency, his aim is to prepare a report for the European Council on the possibilities for peace. Several proposals for peace talks and for a solution to the conflict have already been made, he recalled, but their adoption could take months, which is not very timely, as people are dying every day. For this reason, he asked Zelensky to change the order of this process, to think first about a ceasefire, and then about negotiations on the peace process.
The Hungarian leader said that Zelensky was “not very happy” with the ceasefire proposal and asked to think about it because he had had bad experiences with previous ceasefire proposals, which he said had not worked in Ukraine’s favor.
He explained that Zelensky understood Hungary’s position and outlined the limits of his own position in terms of future decisions. “We will see how we can continue from here,” the prime minister added.
On his unannounced trip to Kyiv and the end of the war, Orbán said that those who want to control events will never be successful, while those who want to be useful and help others must first “let go of their ego.” He added that the truly important topics are war and peace, the position of Ukraine and Russia, and the interests of the European Union.
Decisions on war and peace are not made by Hungary, but by the prime ministers and presidents of the European Council, Orbán told journalists after the meeting.
“All in all, I think that today we have taken a step forward, and tomorrow we will take another,” he added.
