MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Moscow not only as a longtime partner, but also as the President of the EU Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the two leader met.

"Dear Mr. Prime Minister, dear colleagues, welcome to Moscow, to Russia. I understand that you arrived this time not only as our longtime partner, but also as the president of the Council of the European Union," the president said.

Hungary will hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council for the next six months.

On July 2, as the leader of the country that holds this presidency, the Hungarian prime minister visited Kiev, where he met Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Orban proposed to Zelensky terms of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but the Ukrainian president rejected them, according to his office. The Hungarian prime minister said at the time that he represented the European continent, which is interested in peace, and peace can be achieved only through talks with Russia. Kiev had earlier legislated - by Zelensky's decision - to ban them.

The Hungarian government has repeatedly stated the need to keep the channels of communication with Russia open, for such purposes as seeking ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.