Hungarian PM: Only Trump-Putin meeting can deliver peace in Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has declared that a lasting peace agreement in Ukraine can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump, arguing that talks between Moscow and Kyiv alone are insufficient.

“This will not work. If you’re hoping the Russians and Ukrainians will reach an agreement, you’re mistaken. It’s not going to happen. Over the past three years, it could have happened any day, but it never did. I personally held separate talks with them and was rejected,” Orbán said in an interview with Facts, a program aired by Hungary’s TV2, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

In July 2024, Orbán travelled to Kyiv and Moscow as part of a peace initiative, where he met both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Orbán, real progress can only come if Trump resumes his diplomatic push:

“Peace can only be achieved if President Trump continues his peace initiative. He has already held talks with Zelenskyy, and now it is time to sit down at the table with the President of Russia. If he speaks with the Russian president, we will make a big step forward, and perhaps we’ll achieve peace. Without this, we will not be able to do anything,” he stated.

Orbán also called for the restoration of dialogue between Europe and Russia, stressing that engagement with Moscow is unavoidable.
“Sooner or later, Europeans will have to negotiate with President Putin. That is inevitable. The question Europe must answer is whether we want to hold talks before the Trump-Putin meeting or only afterwards,” he said.

He urged the major powers in the European Union to step up. “Germans and French should show resolve,” Orbán said, emphasising that the war must end on the European continent.

His remarks come amid a renewed push for diplomatic engagement. The Istanbul talks, held recently under the mediation of Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, marked the first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations since March 2022. The meeting, which ended at 15:20 Moscow time after just under two hours, was seen as a tentative step toward resuming dialogue.

Before the talks, Fidan announced that Kyiv and Moscow had reached a preliminary agreement to hold further discussions. Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation, said Moscow was “generally satisfied” with the outcome and “ready to continue contacts.” Rustem Umerov, heading the Ukrainian delegation, also indicated that negotiations might continue.

President Putin, who had earlier proposed resuming dialogue with Kyiv, did not rule out that the talks might pave the way for a new “real ceasefire.” President Zelenskyy has also underscored the importance of achieving a ceasefire.

French President Emmanuel Macron has echoed these calls, urging a cessation of hostilities. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said European countries and Ukraine are “agreeing and coordinating” their response to what he described as Russia’s “unacceptable” behaviour during the Istanbul talks.

The Kremlin, while expressing readiness to pursue a “long-term peaceful settlement,” emphasised that talks must be conducted without ultimatums. Russian officials say the conditions of any ceasefire must be thoroughly negotiated before it can be enacted.

By Tamilla Hasanova