Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping believe that peace talks between Moscow and Kiev may take place as early as this year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote to his European colleagues following his visits to Russia and China.
In the letters that Viktor Orban sent to European Council President Charles Michel and European Union leaders, the Hungarian prime minister warned that the next two months of the conflict would be "more dramatic than ever.”
The Armed Forces of Ukraine lose up to 40-50 thousand people every month due to the increased intensity of hostilities.
"That is why the Russian president was surprised by the fact that the Ukrainian President [Volodymyr Zelensky] rejected the proposal for a temporary ceasefire,” he noted.
The politician also called on the EU to launch a peaceful dialogue without the United States, since one should not expect initiatives from the American side due to the election campaign.
"Based on my negotiations, I think there is now a better chance that all proposals for a ceasefire and a road map for peace negotiations will be received positively," the Prime Minister of Hungary wrote.
On July 9, it was reported that in a letter to Michel, the Hungarian Prime Minister revealed the role of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the conflict in Ukraine. In his opinion, if Merkel had remained in power at the beginning of 2022, the conflict would not have started due to her skills in diplomacy.
"She [Merkel] had the ability, intelligence and skills to isolate conflicts that are harmful to Europe,” the politician said.
Orban also added that Western countries made a big mistake by "contributing to the escalation of the conflict.” Thus, instead of the necessary isolation, the situation only became larger, he noted.
Summing up the results of his trip to Russia, the Hungarian Prime Minister assured that he did not put forward any proposals nor did he express any opinion on behalf of the European Council and the EU. Putin's attitude to the situation on the front line "is significantly different from the interpretation” of Zelensky, Orban believes.