Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Moscow with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who became the first Western leader to visit Russia since April 2022. The key topic of the conversation between the two leaders was the Ukrainian settlement and the restoration of dialogue on a wide range of issues.
According to Putin, Russia is striving for an end to hostilities in Ukraine, but Kiev and its sponsors are disrupting all peace initiatives. Orban, for his part, stressed that the search for a peaceful solution must continue.
TASS gathered the main information about the results of the Hungarian Prime Minister's visit to Moscow.
Putin on peace initiatives in Ukraine
Russia remains open to "discussing a political and diplomatic" solution to Ukraine, but the Kiev side does not want this.
Kiev is still "not ready to abandon the idea of waging war to the bitter end." The Kiev regime also does not allow the idea of ending hostilities because in this case "the pretext for extending martial law disappears" and elections will have to be held. But the chances of winning them "for the Ukrainian rulers who have lost their ratings and legitimacy are close to zero."
At the same time, Western "sponsors" continue to try to "use this country and its people as a battering ram, victims in the confrontation with Russia."
The previously proposed proposals on Ukraine make it possible to stop the fighting and start negotiations. Moreover, it should be "not just a truce or a temporary cease-fire, not some kind of pause" that Kiev could use to regroup. Russia stands for "a complete and final end to the conflict."
The main condition for a settlement in Ukraine is the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, from the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. "There are other conditions, but this is all a subject for quite detailed consideration in the course of possible joint work."
Putin on relations with Hungary and the EU
Taking into account that Hungary has been chairing the Council of the European Union since July 1, an exchange of views took place on the state of affairs in relations between Russia and the EU, which "are currently at their lowest point."
Russia is grateful to Orban for visiting Moscow: "We perceive this as an attempt to restore the dialogue and give it some additional impetus."
Russia and Hungary continue to cooperate on the principles of pragmatism and mutual benefits in a number of areas, "primarily in the energy sector." Thus, the commissioning of new units of the Russian Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary will provide consumers with inexpensive and clean energy.
Moscow and Budapest also maintain cooperation in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
Key statements by the Hungarian Prime Minister
Over the past two years, it has become clear that it will not be possible to achieve a settlement without diplomacy: "Peace will not come by itself, we must work for it."
Hungary has become one of the very few European countries that maintains contacts with both Russia and Ukraine: "That's why I was in Kiev this week, that's why I'm in Moscow now."
The positions of the two countries are very far from each other, it is necessary to "take a lot of steps in order to get closer to the end of the war."
Hungary is not going to "pay attention" to criticism from the European Union for the visit to Moscow.
The circumstances of the visit
The visit was initiated by the Hungarian side. Orban arrived in Moscow shortly after his trip to Kiev on July 2. The Hungarian prime Minister offered Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky terms of a ceasefire, but he rejected them.
At a meeting in the Kremlin, Orban noted that the number of countries that can talk to both sides of the conflict in Ukraine is decreasing. Hungary "will probably soon become the only one in Europe who speaks with both Russia and Ukraine," he stressed.
The Hungarian Prime Minister became the first Western leader to visit Russia since April 2022. After the start of a special military operation in February 2022, only one leader of an EU country came to Russia for talks with Putin - Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who visited Moscow on April 11, 2022.
Orban himself is also not in Moscow for the first time in the last two years, but his previous trip - on September 3, 2022 - was of a private nature, he attended a farewell ceremony with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he did not have a meeting with the president of the Russian Federation at that time. At the same time, Putin and Orban met in October 2023 in Beijing on the sidelines of the One Belt, One Road forum.
Reaction to the negotiations
After Orban landed in Moscow, the heads of some European states and governments condemned his decision to travel to Russia. Among them are Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
The Euractiv portal, citing European officials, reported that Orban had not informed the EU authorities about plans to travel to Moscow. One of the interlocutors of the portal noted that if the Hungarian prime minister had addressed Brussels about this, he would have been "strongly recommended to refuse the visit."
The European Commission joined the criticism of Orban's visit to Russia. The head of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Orban's actions send the "wrong signal" to the Russian Federation.
In turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance member countries will discuss the results of the Hungarian Prime Minister's visit to Moscow at a summit in Washington in July.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, expressed the opinion that the "hysteria" in Europe over the talks between Putin and Orban confirms that "the EU and their masters from the United States need war, not peace."
