Hungary's Orban proposes Ukraine-Russia ceasefire to speed up peace talks

A truce connected to a deadline could be a path to peace, Hungarian PM says during his first trip to Kyiv in more than a decade

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Kyiv on Tuesday. AP

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made his first trip to Ukraine in more than a decade on Tuesday and urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider a ceasefire as a way to end the war with Russia.

Mr Orban, who has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is a critic of western military aid to Ukraine, held talks with Mr Zelenskyy in the capital Kyiv.

Mr Orban said he asked Mr Zelenskyy to think about a ceasefire before the follow-up international summit Kyiv hopes to hold later this year.

"A ceasefire connected to a deadline would give a chance to speed up peace talks," he said. "I explored this possibility with the President and I am grateful for his honest answers and negotiation."

Mr Zelenskyy, who spoke before Mr Orban, did not respond to those comments.

But his foreign policy adviser, Ihor Zhovkva, later said in televised remarks that it was not the first such proposal and that Mr Zelenskyy had responded to Mr Orban with his publicly known stance. "We say that Ukraine really wants peace for itself, this is logical ... for this, we have a tool – the peace summit," Mr Zhovkva said, referring to Kyiv's push to build a global coalition to support its vision of peace.

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After hosting dozens of world leaders at a summit in Switzerland last month to advance that blueprint, Kyiv has said it hopes to hold a second international summit this year to which a Russian representative could be invited.

Officials in Kyiv have often said Russia would use any let-up in fighting to regroup and strengthen itself for another, even larger attack on Ukraine.

In his statement to reporters, Mr Zelenskyy touted the possibility of a broad bilateral co-operation agreement between Ukraine and Hungary.

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"The content of our dialogue today on all issues can become the basis for a bilateral document between our states, a document that will regulate all our mutual relations," he said.

Welcoming Mr Zelenskyy's comments, Mr Orban said Hungary would like to help in modernising Ukraine's economy.

Ties between the neighbours came under heavy strain after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with Budapest often opposing European Union efforts to support Kyiv.

Under Mr Orban, who upset western partners by holding talks with Mr Putin in October, Hungary has repeatedly accused Kyiv of curbing the rights of about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in the far west of Ukraine.

Ukraine has denied Budapest's assertion that it is restricting the rights of Hungarian speakers in its western reaches but says it is open to addressing any concerns.

Ukraine is keen to secure Hungary's backing as it relies heavily on financial and military support from the 27-member EU, where unanimity is needed for many decisions.