Orban Visits Kyiv, Proposes Ceasefire Plan

In a surprise visit to Kyiv, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban gave a clear message on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

Orban has the warmest relations of any EU leader with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The outspoken critic of Western military aid to Ukraine held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during his first trip to Kyiv in more than a decade.

"I asked the president to think about whether we could reverse the order, and speed up peace talks by making a ceasefire first. A ceasefire connected to a deadline would give a chance to speed up peace talks. I explored this possibility with the president and I am grateful for his honest answers and negotiation,” Orban said.

"We would like to make the relationship between the two countries better. We would like to make a broad bilateral agreement with Ukraine, similar to the ones we already made with our neighbors. We would be happy to take part in the modernisation of Ukraine's economy, we would like an ordered framework for this," he added.

He also said he valued Kiev's push to promote Zelenskiy's vision of peace at an international summit in June.

The Ukrainian president, who spoke before Orban, did not respond to those comments.

Ties between the neighbors came under heavy strain after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Budapest has often opposed the European Union efforts to support Kyiv.

Earlier this year it took EU leaders weeks to break Orban's veto to extend over 50 billion euros in new aid to the war-torn country.

Under Orban, Hungary has repeatedly accused Ukraine of curbing the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in the far west of Ukraine.

Ukraine denies this and says it is open to addressing any concerns.

Kyiv 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.