Kremlin Says Putin Supports Christmas Cease-Fire in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to the media after attending a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Nov. 28, 2024. Mikhail Tereshchenko/AFP/Getty Images

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin backs Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s proposal for a Christmas cease-fire and prisoner swap in Ukraine, after Kyiv criticized Orban for not consulting with Ukrainian officials, hinting it undermines Western unity in the face of Russia’s invasion.

Orban proposed the cease-fire and prisoner exchange in a call with Putin on Dec. 11, according to statements from both the Kremlin and Hungary. Specific details were not disclosed.

Shortly after Wednesday’s call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to X to criticize Orban, accusing him of boosting his “personal image at the expense of unity” and insisting that any discussions about the war without Ukraine’s participation in the talks are counterproductive.

Zelenskyy also praised President-elect Donald Trump and European leaders for their initiative “to find the right and strong solutions for real peace,” efforts that the Ukrainian president said are being conducted with Kyiv’s involvement.

A day later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Orban’s initiative has Putin’s backing, adding that Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) had put forward specific prisoner exchange proposals to Hungary’s embassy in Moscow to move the proposal forward.

“The Russian side fully supports Orban’s efforts aimed at finding a peaceful settlement and resolving humanitarian issues related to the prisoner exchange,” Peskov said on Dec. 12.

Orban criticized Zelenskyy’s response to his call to Putin in a post on X, saying the Ukrainian president had “clearly rejected and ruled out” his Christmas cease-fire and prisoner swap proposal. Ukraine pushed back on Orban’s comment, with presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn telling the Kyiv Post that no specific proposal had been brought to Zelenskyy for him to accept or reject.

The proposal of a Christmas cease-fire and prisoner swap in Ukraine stalled amid broader calls for peace negotiations.

Trump has said he would broker a peace deal between the two countries in short order after taking office. He has offered few specifics as to how he would accomplish that, other than saying he would leverage his personal relationships with both Putin and Zelenskyy to bring the two men to the table to eke out a solution.

The president-elect recently appointed retired General Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

Kellogg, co-chair of the America First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, outlined his approach to ending the Ukraine war in an April report. His recommendations include pursuing a formal cease-fire, delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership in exchange for a verifiable peace deal, tying U.S. military aid to Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate, offering limited sanctions relief to Russia for compliance, and establishing bilateral defense agreements to secure Ukraine’s long-term safety.

Putin has said that Russia is ready for dialogue with the incoming U.S. administration on the situation in Ukraine. The Russian leader also expressed confidence that Trump will be able to navigate the complexities of the conflict and create the conditions for a peace deal. At the same time, Putin said that his demands for ending the hostilities remain unchanged.

In a June meeting with Russian Foreign Ministry leaders, Putin outlined conditions for peace talks, including Ukrainian troop withdrawals from contested regions, Ukraine’s adoption of a neutral status, “demilitarization” of the country, and the lifting of Western sanctions.

President Joe Biden has pledged to surge as much military aid to Ukraine as possible while he is still in office, saying that this would put Kyiv in the strongest possible position on the battlefield and give it the most leverage in the anticipated peace negotiations.

“As the president made clear, we’re going to continue to provide additional packages right up until the end of this administration,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing on Dec. 12, which came as the U.S. State Department announced an additional $500 million in military aid to Ukraine.