Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who surprised many with his visit to Moscow.
The talks revolved around issues such as the Ukrainian conflict, with the two leaders discussing the “shortest way out” of it, Orban revealed during a joint press conference with Putin following the closed-doors negotiations.
Moscow’s and Kiev’s positions remain very “far apart,” Hungary’s PM admitted, citing his recent trip to Kiev to meet the Ukrainian leadership.
“A lot of steps have to be taken to get closer to a resolution of the war. Still, we’ve already taken the most important step—establishing the contact, and I will continue to work on this in the future,” Orban stated.
The enduring conflict between Russia and Ukraine is affecting the broader European region, Orban noted, adding that the continent has enjoyed the most rapid and sustainable development only during peacetime.
“As I’ve already told Mr President, Europe needs peace. Yet this peace will not emerge by itself, we must work to reach it,” the visiting premier said.
The Russian president has reiterated Moscow’s readiness to resolve the hostility through negotiations. The Ukrainian leadership, however, appears to be still incapable of abandoning its idea of waging a war “until the end,” Putin noted.
Moscow is seeking to reach lasting, sustainable peace rather than opting for a temporary ceasefire or a “frozen conflict” of any sort, the Russian president warned.
There should not be a “ceasefire or some kind of pause that the Kiev regime could use to recover losses, regroup, and rearm. Russia is in favor of a complete and final end to the conflict,” he stressed.
Russia Sees That Ukraine Not Ready to Reject Waging War Until the End - Putin
We can see that Kiev is not ready to give up waging war until the end, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement to the press after holding talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
"The way we see the situation, including what the prime minister said today, Kiev is still not ready to give up waging the war until the ‘victorious’ end," the president told the press.
Putin added that implementing Russia’s peace initiatives would allow the cessation of hostilities and the start of the negotiation process.
"Our [Russia's] peace initiatives have been recently presented at my meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. We believe that its implementation would make it possible to cease the hostilities and start negotiations," he noted.
Russia stands for completely ending the conflict in Ukraine, and not for a ceasefire or a pause so the Kiev regime can rearm itself, Putin emphasized.
"It should not just be a truce or a temporary cease-fire, not some kind of pause that the Kiev regime could use to recover losses, regroup and rearm itself. Russia stands for a full and final end to the conflict," he said.
According to Putin, Kiev is rejecting the ceasefire proposals because they will lose the pretext for extending the martial law. Ukraine will have to hold a presidential election in the absence of the martial law, and the current rulers will have a low chance for reelection, Putin said.
The Russian president shared that he had discussed possible ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict with Prime Minister Orban and that Orban had told him about the details of his recent visit to Kiev.
"There was certainly a fairly direct and thorough exchange of views on relevant international issues, including the Ukrainian conflict, and we talked about possible ways to resolve it... Mr. Prime Minister spoke about his recent meetings in Kiev, where he had made a number of proposals and, in particular, a call for a ceasefire to create conditions for the start of negotiations with Russia," Putin told the briefing.
Russia sees Ukraine's unwillingness to resolve problems through negotiations, the Russian president added.
"Ukraine's sponsors continue to try to use this country and its people as a ‘battering ram,’ a victim of confrontation with Russia," Putin said.
Russia and Hungary Continue Cooperation, Primarily in Energy
"Russia and Hungary continue cooperation in a number of areas, primarily in the energy sector," Putin added. The countries also continue cooperation in medicine and pharmaceuticals, he said. The president added that joint work on the Paks II nuclear power plant in Hungary was moving forward.
"Only advanced engineering and technological solutions are being used in the construction of new units, and physical safety and environmental requirements are being fully ensured," he noted, commenting on the progress of the construction.
In late 2014, Russia and Hungary signed an agreement on the construction of two additional advanced reactors at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Rosatom said that construction was set to begin from late 2024 to early 2025.
Possible European Security Architecture Discussed at the Talks
President Putin said he had discussed possible security architecture in Europe with Orban.
"We also talked about possible principles of the future — possible too — security architecture in Europe," Putin told the briefing.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the state of affairs in relations between Russia and the European Union, "which are currently at their lowest point," the Russian president added.
Moscow appreciates Orban's visit and views it as an attempt to restore the dialogue between Russia and the EU and give it an additional momentum, Putin said.
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