Orbán reveals what Putin told him about his plan to "quickly" reach ceasefire and start negotiations

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not interested in reaching a ceasefire in order to lay the groundwork for more substantive peace talks.

Source: Viktor Orbán in an interview with Die Weltwoche, a Russia-supporting Swiss weekly

Details: Orbán was asked how Putin responded to the three questions he promised to ask him during their meeting.

Orbán said Putin told him that true negotiations are impossible without the involvement of both sides and, hinting at the Global Peace Summit organised by Ukraine in June, that anything that’s done without [both of them] doesn’t matter.

Putin also told Orbán that Russia responded to Ukraine’s initial proposals in spring 2022, and its position has not changed since. He added that Moscow was prepared to continue talks on the same terms.

Orbán also asked Putin what he thinks about reaching a ceasefire with Ukraine ahead of launching more substantive talks.

"He said he doesn’t have high expectations regarding this. Zelenskyy said that he doesn’t have high expectations because the Russians would use it against Ukraine. Putin [said] that Ukrainians would use this pause against Russia. But I said: ‘Let’s think about it, and I get your arguments,’" Orbán said.

He also said he considers himself "the only Western leader who can simultaneously talk to both Kyiv and Moscow" because everyone else "has created a situation in which they can’t directly contact the two key players". According to Orbán, he continues to maintain contact with Russia because he is looking for "the fastest and shortest path to ending the war".

In this interview, Orbán also said that he had concealed his plans to visit Moscow from his Western allies for as long as he could and promised more "surprise meetings".

Background:

• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that after his visits to Moscow and Kyiv, he realised that the positions of both sides regarding the war of aggression unleashed by Russia "are very far apart". 

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