Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has reiterated his call for efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine during a joint appearance with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the capital Moscow.
According to an official Russian translation, Orbán said that Europe has been living in the shadow of the war in Ukraine for more than two years. “Europe needs peace,” he said.
Orbán made the surprise trip to Moscow amid fierce criticism from EU officials, Western politicians and Ukraine. The EU stressed that the Hungarian leader had no official EU mandate to negotiate with Russia.
Peace will not come, but must be pursued by all sides, Orbán said. However, the positions of Moscow and Kiev are far apart. “A lot of steps need to be taken to get closer to the end of the war,” he said.
Establishing contact was key, he said, adding: “I will continue to work in this direction.”
