Jul 5, 2024
We can see that Kiev is not ready to give up waging war until the end, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement to the press after holding talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“The way we see the situation, including what the prime minister said today, Kiev is still not ready to give up waging the war until the ‘victorious’ end,” the president told the press.
Putin added that implementing Russia’s peace initiatives would allow the cessation of hostilities and the start of the negotiation process.
“Our [Russia’s] peace initiatives have been recently presented at my meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. We believe that its implementation would make it possible to cease the hostilities and start negotiations,” he noted.
Russia stands for completely ending the conflict in Ukraine, and not for a ceasefire or a pause so the Kiev regime can rearm itself, Putin emphasized.
“It should not just be a truce or a temporary cease-fire, not some kind of pause that the Kiev regime could use to recover losses, regroup and rearm itself. Russia stands for a full and final end to the conflict,” he said.
According to Putin, Kiev is rejecting the ceasefire proposals because they will lose the pretext for extending the martial law. Ukraine will have to hold a presidential election in the absence of the martial law, and the current rulers will have a low chance for reelection, Putin said.
The Russian president shared that he had discussed possible ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict with Prime Minister Orban and that Orban had told him about the details of his recent visit to Kiev.
“There was certainly a fairly direct and thorough exchange of views on relevant international issues, including the Ukrainian conflict, and we talked about possible ways to resolve it … Mr. Prime Minister spoke about his recent meetings in Kiev, where he had made a number of proposals and, in particular, a call for a ceasefire to create conditions for the start of negotiations with Russia,” Putin told the briefing.
Russia sees Ukraine’s unwillingness to resolve problems through negotiations, the Russian president added.
“Ukraine’s sponsors continue to try to use this country and its people as a ‘battering ram,’ a victim of confrontation with Russia,” Putin said.
Orban: Hungary to Work With Both Russia and Ukraine
At the same press event, Viktor Orban said that he will continue working with Russia and Ukraine on achieving peace, adding that their positions are too far from each other.
“I was in Kiev, now I am in Moscow. I realized from experience that the positions [of the two sides] are very far from each other. There are a lot of steps to be taken in order to get closer to the end of the war. But we have made the most important step — we have established contact, and I will continue to work in this direction,” he said after his meeting with Vladimir Putin, adding that the conversation was open and honest.
Orban also said that he held a meeting with Putin in the moment when “Europe needs peace.”
“Peace will not come on its own, you have to work for it. I was just discussing ways to achieve peace with Putin today. I wanted to know what is the shortest way to end the war. I wanted to hear and heard the president’s [Putin] views on three important issues: what he thinks about the peace initiatives that are currently in place, what he also thinks about the ceasefire and the peace talks, in what sequence they can be conducted … And the third thing I was interested in was the vision of Europe after the war,” Orban noted.
The conflict in Ukraine has started “to have an impact” on Europe’s economy, the Hungarian prime minister added.
Russia and Hungary Continue Cooperation, Primarily in Energy
“Russia and Hungary continue cooperation in a number of areas, primarily in the energy sector,” Putin added.
The countries also continue cooperation in medicine and pharmaceuticals, he said.
The president added that joint work on the Paks II nuclear power plant in Hungary was moving forward.
“Only advanced engineering and technological solutions are being used in the construction of new units, and physical safety and environmental requirements are being fully ensured,” he noted, commenting on the progress of the construction.
In late 2014, Russia and Hungary signed an agreement on the construction of two additional advanced reactors at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Rosatom said that construction was set to begin from late 2024 to early 2025.
Possible European Security Architecture Discussed at the Talks
President Putin said he had discussed possible security architecture in Europe with Orban.
“We also talked about possible principles of the future — possible too — security architecture in Europe,” Putin told the briefing.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the state of affairs in relations between Russia and the European Union, “which are currently at their lowest point,” the Russian president added.
Moscow appreciates Orban’s visit and views it as an attempt to restore the dialogue between Russia and the EU and give it an additional momentum, Putin said.
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