On Wednesday, April 6, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call. According to the Hungarian portal, Putin called Orban to congratulate him on his victory in the parliamentary elections held in the republic last Sunday. 24.hu.
In turn, the head of the Hungarian government offered Putin will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Budapest to resolve the issue.
“The answer is yes, but the Russian President says he has some conditions,” Orban said.
The Hungarian prime minister did not specify exactly what Putin’s terms were. But Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, has repeatedly stated that a meeting between the head of state and Zelensky is possible only after preliminary agreement on the text of the document to be signed. At the same time, he did not rule out that his meeting with the President of Ukraine, Putin, may not take place.
The Hungarian prime minister also requested a ceasefire in Ukraine from the Russian President.
The Kremlin press service also issued a short message about the meeting between Putin and Orban that took place today: “A number of current issues were discussed in Russian-Hungarian relations, which continue to develop in a mutually beneficial way. Vladimir Putin briefed the Russian and Ukrainian representatives on the course of the talks, and also gave a basic assessment of the rude and sarcastic provocation of the Kyiv regime in the city of Bucha. It was decided to continue contacts, ”- says in a press release.
According to European media, Orban also invited French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to attend the talks.
Orban believes that the real issue is to agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine, and that a European peace conference should follow. TASS.
Earlier, the Hungarian prime minister claimed that he “does not intend to allow interference in the situation in Ukraine, as this could have dire consequences for the Hungarian population”.
Elections in Hungary
The ruling FIDES-Hungarian Civil Union party, led by Orban, won a landslide victory in the next election. Along with its junior coalition allies, the Christian Democrats, FIDES can count on 135 of the 199 seats in the country’s State Assembly (unicameral parliament), according to the National Electoral Bureau. Thus, Orban stays at the head of the country for at least four more years. He has been in permanent power since 2010 and was prime minister from 1998 to 2002.
Commenting on the results of the campaign, Orban listed Zelensky among his alleged rivals that he wanted to lose. In turn, the President of Ukraine believes that the Hungarian Prime Minister will have to choose “between Russia and the rest of the world”.
“He can keep flirting, he needs cheap energy sources and the like out there. It won’t take long,” Zelensky said the day before, answering journalists’ questions. He also claims that he tried to establish a relationship with Orban but failed. “I wanted to build a relationship with him. True, I wanted, I myself called several times, invited him to a meeting, offered him a meeting, wanted to find a relationship, ”said the girl. his predictions, “he feared the influence of the Russian Federation on his state.
According to him, they “simply have no relations” with Orban, and Budapest was not an ally in Ukrainian affairs.
“No problem paying in rubles”
Former Prime Minister of Hungary declarationHe said his country would not follow the US example and join the ban on energy trade with Russia: “that is out of the question” because “it would be an unbearable burden for Hungary.” The head of government reminded that 85% of all gas consumed in Hungary comes from Russia, 85% of Hungarian households use gas and 64% of the country’s fuel is produced from oil, which is also supplied by Russia.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, reported that there has been no unanimity in the EU on the issue of rejecting Russian gas since Hungary said. to impose veto such a resolution.
Orban also stated that Budapest is ready to pay for Russian gas in rubles. “We have no problems paying in rubles. “If the Russians want to pay in rubles, we will pay in rubles,” he said.
February 24 Russia start Special military operation in Ukraine After that, the USA, EU, UK and some other states introduced four packages of sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities. In addition, more than 60% of Russia’s gold and foreign exchange reserves ($350 billion) were frozen on April 5, according to British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
in Istanbul on March 29 passed Negotiations between representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that after the end of the talks between the parties, Moscow took it from Kiev. written offers by agreement between the parties.