During a July 2 visit to Kyiv, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider reaching a truce with Russia.
“I explored this possibility with the [Ukrainian] president,” he added, “and I am grateful for his honest answers and negotiation.”
Mr. Orban’s visit to Kyiv was his first in more than a decade.
It was also his first trip abroad since Hungary, a longstanding European Union member, assumed the European Council’s rotating presidency on June 1.
Unlike most of his fellow EU leaders, Mr. Orban is a vocal critic of unqualified support for Kyiv—military or otherwise—and supports a negotiated solution to the conflict.
He is also on good terms with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched an invasion of eastern Ukraine in February 2022 that remains ongoing.
At the joint press conference, Mr. Zelenskyy made no reference to the Hungarian leader’s truce proposal.
But Ihor Zhovkva, his foreign policy adviser, later appeared to pour cold water on the idea.
In televised remarks, Mr. Zhovkva suggested the conflict could only be resolved by holding international summits like the one recently hosted by Switzerland.
Moscow, for its part, slammed what it described as Kyiv’s “peace rhetoric” as little more than “smoke and mirrors.”
“To inflict a strategic defeat on Russia,” she added.
Swiss Summit Stalls
Last month, Switzerland hosted an international summit at Kyiv’s request aimed at exploring prospects for peace.Although Russian officials were not invited, the event drew representatives from 90 countries.
However, non-aligned states declined to endorse the summit’s final declaration, which reaffirmed Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.”
Moscow responded to the Switzerland summit by proposing its own terms for ending the conflict.
These included the withdrawal of all Ukrainian forces from four regions of eastern Ukraine that Russia effectively annexed in late 2022.
Under the Russian proposal, Kyiv would also be expected to drop its bid for NATO membership and commit to a permanent position of neutrality.
Backed by its Western allies, Kyiv was quick to reject the Russian terms.
Until now, Kyiv has rejected any negotiations with Russia until the latter withdraws from all Ukrainian territory, including the Black Sea region of Crimea.
“We’re not ready to compromise on important values … independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty,” he told reporters in Washington.
‘Complicated Situation’
Since Russia launched its invasion 28 months ago, Hungary’s relations with Kyiv have become increasingly strained.Under Mr. Orban, Budapest has opposed the EU’s unqualified support for Ukraine’s war effort.
In February, Hungary only agreed to a proposed 50 billion-euro (roughly $54 billion) aid package for Kyiv after weeks of pressure from other EU leaders.
Budapest also accuses Kyiv of failing to respect the rights of an estimated 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine.
While Kyiv denies the allegation, it has nevertheless expressed a willingness to address Budapest’s concerns.
An aspiring EU member, Ukraine is keen to stay in Hungary’s good graces.
At a summit in Brussels last week, the EU opened formal accession talks with Ukraine, which was granted candidate status late last year.
However, to join the European bloc, Kyiv must first obtain the support of all 27 existing EU members, including Mr. Orban’s Hungary.
While Hungary–Ukraine ties remain strained, Budapest’s relations with Moscow are relatively warm—to the annoyance of Mr. Orban’s critics.
Last October, the Hungarian leader met Mr. Putin in Beijing, where they reiterated their countries’ good relations.
On July 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation in Ukraine—by phone—with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto.
Commenting on the Lavrov-Szijjarto call, Russia’s foreign ministry said relations with Hungary “continue to develop in the spirit of healthy pragmatism and mutual benefit despite the complicated international situation.”
