Hungary could host Ukraine-Russia peace talks, Magyar says
on Google
Hungary could host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar told German outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine in an interview published June 3.
"Hungary cannot play the decisive role here; that's a matter for the major powers. We can provide diplomatic and humanitarian aid, and Hungary could also be a venue for negotiations," Magyar said.
Magyar's predecessor, Viktor Orban, was open to hosting U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin months earlier in a planned summit that was ultimately scrapped.
Orban was widely regarded as one of the most Russia-friendly leaders in Europe. Meanwhile, Magyar campaigned on a more pro-European platform, taking a tougher stance toward Moscow.
"In Ukraine, everything is truly at stake now. Many people are dying, and it is possible that this country will lose part of its territory. Therefore, Ukraine needs genuine, enforceable international guarantees," Magyar said.
Magyar noted that potential security guarantees should not mirror the outcome of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum that saw the U.S., U.K., and Russia guarantee that economic and military means to attack Ukraine would not be used.
"In 1994, there was already the famous Budapest Memorandum, in which, among others, the U.S. and the major powers guaranteed Ukraine's independence and integrity. These promises, however, have not been kept, because empty slogans are of little use.
As Russia's war against Ukraine continues, peace talks have stalled. Kyiv has insisted that a ceasefire be enacted along the current fighting positions, and Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the remainder of the Donbas region under Kyiv's control.
