BUDAPEST, July 5. /TASS/. Budapest realizes that it will be major powers that will arrange talks between Russia and Ukraine, but it would like to propel the peace process forward, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
"Hungary knows its place and weight; it will be the big countries that handle the big talks," he told the Kossuth radio station.
Meanwhile, Orban pointed out that Hungary "would like to encourage the parties" to launch talks. According to the Hungarian prime minister, this was the goal of his July 2 visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where he met with the country’s President Vladimir Zelensky.
Orban said after his trip to Kiev that he would brief the EU leadership and the leaders of other EU countries on the outcome of his meeting with Zelensky. The Hungarian premier also noted that he would like to get a feel for how committed the parties to the conflict are to achieving peace and what kind of concessions Russia and Ukraine are willing to make.
"After this, European leaders, as well as the 27 prime ministers, will be able to make decisions together, and our long-term decisions will be discussed by those who have the final say. Unfortunately, at this point, we can only take the first steps on the way to achieving peace," Orban said. Still, he emphasized that "without dialogue, there can be no movement towards peace."