Orban proposes Budapest as venue for peace talks during meeting with Putin

That is according to the BBC News Russian, Ukrinform reports.

The Hungarian delegation arrived at the Kremlin today for talks with Putin. It included, among others, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

The Russian delegation was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Putin's aide Yury Ushakov, and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

Orban noted that this was his 14th meeting with Putin since becoming prime minister. The two leaders discussed "peace efforts" aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

"Ukraine is Hungary's neighbor, so Hungary fully feels the impact of the Ukrainian conflict [meaning Russia's war against Ukraine] on itself. In particular, we are suffering significant economic losses. Hungary is interested in peace, and we sincerely hope that the recently announced peace initiatives will eventually lead to a result," Orban said.

According to him, Hungary "is ready to provide a venue for peace talks" and support the successful completion of this process.

Putin thanked Orban and added that the idea of holding negotiations in Budapest originated with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Orban earlier announced that he would meet with Putin in Moscow on Friday to discuss crude oil and gas supplies to Hungary, as well as Ukraine peace efforts.

Friday's meeting between Orban and Putin was the first since July 2024, when the Hungarian prime minister traveled to Moscow on what he called a "peace mission." The Hungarian government confirmed that trip only after Orban's plane had landed in Russia.

In October, Trump said he had canceled a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest after concluding he would not achieve the outcomes he sought in such talks.

Orban has previously stated that his government will take the European Union to court over the bloc's decision to gradually phase out imports of Russian gas.

Photo: video screenshot