04:43Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he shared with Russian President Vladimir Putin the reaction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to his ceasefire initiative, while speaking at a press conference following the meeting in the Kremlin on Friday.
"Over the last two and a half years, there are hardly any countries that are in contact with both sides in this conflict. Hungary is just one of these few countries, which is why I was in Kiev during the week and am now in Moscow. I realised from experience that the positions are very different from each other. <...> I told this to the Russian President," the politician said.
In addition, the prime minister added that EU countries were experiencing huge difficulties amid the ongoing hostilities.
"The greatest development of Europe happened precisely in a decade of peace; now we in Europe have been living for two and a half years in the shadow of war. This is causing enormous difficulties in Europe, we cannot feel safe, we see images of destruction and suffering, and this war has already started to affect economic growth and our competitiveness," Orban noted.
On Friday, the Hungarian PM announced on social network X (formerly Twitter) his visit to the Russian capital.
"The peace mission continues, the second stop is Moscow," the politician stated.
On the same day, the European External Action Service - the bloc's diplomatic service - claimed Orban's trip to Moscow was taking place without a 'mandate'.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that it would not resolve the Ukrainian crisis, writing on X that unity and determination 'will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine' - adding 'appeasement will not stop Putin'.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the head of the Hungarian government had decided to travel to Moscow without agreement and co-ordination with Kiev.
Earlier on Tuesday, Orban visited Kiev and urged Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to 'take a break', have a ceasefire and 'continue negotiations' - although admitted the response to his suggestion had been 'frank'.
Deputy Head of the Ukrainian presidential office Igor Zhovkva said that the ceasefire issue could not be 'considered in isolation' from other aspects of the conflict settlement.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the DPR and LPR, claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
I spoke to Putin about Zelensky's reaction to ceasefire initiative - Orban
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he shared with Russian President Vladimir Putin the reaction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to his ceasefire initiative, while speaking at a press conference following the meeting in the Kremlin on Friday.
"Over the last two and a half years, there are hardly any countries that are in contact with both sides in this conflict. Hungary is just one of these few countries, which is why I was in Kiev during the week and am now in Moscow. I realised from experience that the positions are very different from each other. <...> I told this to the Russian President," the politician said.
In addition, the prime minister added that EU countries were experiencing huge difficulties amid the ongoing hostilities.
"The greatest development of Europe happened precisely in a decade of peace; now we in Europe have been living for two and a half years in the shadow of war. This is causing enormous difficulties in Europe, we cannot feel safe, we see images of destruction and suffering, and this war has already started to affect economic growth and our competitiveness," Orban noted.
On Friday, the Hungarian PM announced on social network X (formerly Twitter) his visit to the Russian capital.
"The peace mission continues, the second stop is Moscow," the politician stated.
On the same day, the European External Action Service - the bloc's diplomatic service - claimed Orban's trip to Moscow was taking place without a 'mandate'.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that it would not resolve the Ukrainian crisis, writing on X that unity and determination 'will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine' - adding 'appeasement will not stop Putin'.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the head of the Hungarian government had decided to travel to Moscow without agreement and co-ordination with Kiev.
Earlier on Tuesday, Orban visited Kiev and urged Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to 'take a break', have a ceasefire and 'continue negotiations' - although admitted the response to his suggestion had been 'frank'.
Deputy Head of the Ukrainian presidential office Igor Zhovkva said that the ceasefire issue could not be 'considered in isolation' from other aspects of the conflict settlement.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the DPR and LPR, claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he shared with Russian President Vladimir Putin the reaction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to his ceasefire initiative, while speaking at a press conference following the meeting in the Kremlin on Friday.
"Over the last two and a half years, there are hardly any countries that are in contact with both sides in this conflict. Hungary is just one of these few countries, which is why I was in Kiev during the week and am now in Moscow. I realised from experience that the positions are very different from each other. <...> I told this to the Russian President," the politician said.
In addition, the prime minister added that EU countries were experiencing huge difficulties amid the ongoing hostilities.
"The greatest development of Europe happened precisely in a decade of peace; now we in Europe have been living for two and a half years in the shadow of war. This is causing enormous difficulties in Europe, we cannot feel safe, we see images of destruction and suffering, and this war has already started to affect economic growth and our competitiveness," Orban noted.
On Friday, the Hungarian PM announced on social network X (formerly Twitter) his visit to the Russian capital.
"The peace mission continues, the second stop is Moscow," the politician stated.
On the same day, the European External Action Service - the bloc's diplomatic service - claimed Orban's trip to Moscow was taking place without a 'mandate'.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that it would not resolve the Ukrainian crisis, writing on X that unity and determination 'will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine' - adding 'appeasement will not stop Putin'.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the head of the Hungarian government had decided to travel to Moscow without agreement and co-ordination with Kiev.
Earlier on Tuesday, Orban visited Kiev and urged Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to 'take a break', have a ceasefire and 'continue negotiations' - although admitted the response to his suggestion had been 'frank'.
Deputy Head of the Ukrainian presidential office Igor Zhovkva said that the ceasefire issue could not be 'considered in isolation' from other aspects of the conflict settlement.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the DPR and LPR, claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.