Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s efforts to secure a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine and facilitate a significant exchange of prisoners of war, the Kremlin announced on Thursday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated: ‘The Russian side fully supports Orbán’s efforts aimed at finding a peaceful settlement and resolving humanitarian issues related to the prisoner exchange.’ He also noted that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has already shared details of a potential prisoner exchange with the Hungarian embassy.
On Wednesday, Orbán, nearing the conclusion of Hungary’s EU Presidency—which has prioritized advancing peace efforts in Ukraine—proposed a Christmas ceasefire alongside a large-scale prisoner exchange between the warring parties. ‘At the end of the Hungarian EU Presidency, we made new efforts for peace. We proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange,’ Orbán wrote in a post on X.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy swiftly dismissed the proposal, stating: ‘No one should boost their personal image at the expense of unity; everyone should focus on shared success. Unity in Europe has always been key to achieving it. There can be no discussions about the war that Russia wages against Ukraine without Ukraine.’ His response was notably undiplomatic, revealing the proposal before the parties had the opportunity to properly consider it.
In recent weeks, efforts to promote peace have gathered significant momentum. Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election on 5 November served as a clear catalyst. Following this, Viktor Orbán met with Pope Francis in early December and subsequently travelled to Mar-a-Lago on Monday, 9 December, where he engaged in discussions with Trump, Elon Musk, and Trump’s designated national security advisor, Mike Waltz. These talks primarily focused on advancing peace efforts in Ukraine.
This was followed by a phone call with Putin on Wednesday, after which Orbán travelled to Ankara to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Following the meeting, Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó stated that the discussions were part of Hungary’s ongoing peace mission. He emphasized that the talks with the Turkish president were particularly significant, as Türkiye’s efforts had been the only truly successful mediation attempt in the Ukraine war over the past thousand days.
‘Hungary has maintained the same position for a thousand days. It has been proven that there is no solution on the battlefield; the only solution lies at the negotiating table. Therefore, a ceasefire and peace talks are urgently needed,’ Szijjártó said.
Reflecting on the peace mission and Hungary’s EU Presidency, Orbán stated in Ankara: ‘Six months ago, no one wanted to discuss peace; now, everyone is talking about it. We have opened the door, and meaningful negotiations can now begin. This is the greatest success of Hungary’s EU Presidency.’
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