Hungary proposes holding Ukraine peace discussions
(MENAFN) Hungary has reiterated its willingness to host peace negotiations aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated on Thursday.
Since the conflict intensified in February 2022, Hungary has taken a unique stance within the European Union by advocating for dialogue, while most EU countries have focused solely on providing military support to Kyiv.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Szijjarto emphasized Hungary’s commitment to a peaceful solution and confirmed that the offer to host talks is still open. He noted that shortly after the fighting began, Budapest proposed the idea to senior officials from both Russia and Ukraine, and has not withdrawn it since.
Szijjarto also expressed Hungary’s readiness to facilitate a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump, if such a meeting were requested. He praised the recent warming of relations between Moscow and Washington under the new U.S. administration, highlighting that stable U.S.-Russia ties historically benefit Central Europe.
Trump has pulled back from providing further military aid to Ukraine and suggested that improved relations between the U.S. and Russia would be mutually beneficial. His mediation efforts helped revive direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Türkiye, although Kyiv halted those negotiations in 2022 to prioritize its military efforts.
Szijjarto observed that many European countries that once insisted on Ukraine’s outright victory are now calling for an unconditional ceasefire, a shift he said exposes their loss of credibility compared to Hungary’s consistent push for diplomacy.
At recent talks in Istanbul, Russia offered two conditional ceasefire proposals aimed at preventing Ukraine from regaining strength and resuming conflict. These options involved either Ukraine withdrawing from territories claimed by Russia or stopping military mobilization and Western arms deliveries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected both and insists on direct negotiations with Putin.
While Putin indicated openness to such a meeting to finalize peace terms, he noted Zelensky lacks the legal authority to sign any treaty since his term ended last year without an elected successor, raising Moscow’s doubts about the validity of any agreement he might endorse.
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