Hungarian FM: Hungary advocates for ceasefire in Ukraine but not for Russia to keep occupied territories

Hungary advocating for the ceasefire in Ukraine does not mean accepting that Russia would keep the territories it currently occupies, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in an interview with Associated Press published on March 26.

According to Szijjártó, “stopping the war and sitting around the table does not mean that you accept the status quo.”

“When the war stops and the peace talks start, it’s not necessary that the borders would be where the front lines are. We know this from our own history as well... Ceasefire has to come now.”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Hungary has condemned the war but refused to supply Ukraine with weapons.

The country states that sanctions and the arms supply are not measures that will bring peace.Budapest also threatened to veto certain EU sanctions against Moscow, such as the ones related to nuclear energy and has held up the adoption of a major 18 billion euro EU funding package to Kyiv.

Recently, Hungary said it would not detain Russian dictator Vladimir Putin if he entered the country despite the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

The country also backed China’s proposed peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine, which doesn’t specifically say Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine.