Orbán said Putin's response had been positive, but also quoted the Russian president as saying that Russia had certain conditions for a ceasefire which he should first discuss with his Ukrainian counterpart.Continue reading
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s proposal of having peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Budapest is “media stir-up,” according to the advisor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mykhailo Podolyak, part of Ukraine’s delegation for ongoing negotiations between the two countries, explained to Ukrajinszka Pravda that official channels for the process of negotiating peace already exist.
Viktor Orbán announced in a press conference on Wednesday that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Orbán suggested that the two sides should sit down with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for peace talks in Budapest. Putin allegedly gave a favorable answer, but peace talks are already underway.
When Orbán’s discussion with Putin was brought up with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, he explained that such prospects do not have an official purpose, they simply catch the attention of the media.
There are official channels. There is a [Ukrainian-Russian] negotiating delegation with sub-delegations constantly in contact with one another. There is a key international consultation format on the level of political advisors as well, on which Andrii Yermak [Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine] represents our side. Any genuine suggestions can only pass through these channels. Everything else is complete media stir-up.”