Orbán labels discussion with Putin as "critical phase" in Ukraine crisis

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stated that his recent phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin occurred during the most perilous phase of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

"We are using all available diplomatic means to promote a ceasefire and peace," Orban explained, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Commenting further, the Hungarian diplomat stressed that we are living through the most dangerous weeks of the war in Ukraine.

“I had a one-hour phone call with President Putin this morning," Orban explained.

The Hungarian leader did not disclose the specific issues discussed during the call. However, the Kremlin’s press service later indicated that the two leaders had a "substantial exchange of views on the Ukrainian issue."

The statement noted that Orban expressed an interest in contributing to the search for political and diplomatic solutions to the crisis, including through his contacts with several Western leaders.

In response, President Putin shared his fundamental assessments of the current situation in Ukraine and the "destructive line" of the Kyiv regime, which continues to rule out the possibility of a peaceful settlement. The Kremlin also mentioned that the conversation included discussions on the implementation of joint bilateral projects in the economic sphere.

On December 9, Orban had a three-hour meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. This phone call with Putin follows a visit to Moscow by Orban in July.

Over the past month, Orban has become the second European leader to engage in a telephone conversation with Putin—following German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke with the Russian president in mid-November. Both calls were initiated by Budapest and Berlin, respectively.

By Aghakazim Guliyev