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Hungarian PM says he arrives in Moscow to continue 'peace mission'

Orban’s spokesman Bertalan Havasi announced earlier that the Hungarian premier had arrived in Moscow to discuss ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin

BUDAPEST, July 5. /TASS/. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that he arrived in Moscow to continue his "peace mission."

"The peace mission continues. Second stop: Moscow," he wrote on the X social media platform.

Orban’s spokesman Bertalan Havasi announced earlier that the Hungarian premier had arrived in Moscow to discuss ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier on Friday, Orban told Hungary’s Kossuth radio station that he would like to persuade the parties to the conflict - Ukraine and Russia - to embark "on a long journey that can lead to a ceasefire and peace talks."

On July 2, Orban visited the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where he met with the country’s President Vladimir Zelensky and suggested that Ukraine should announce an immediate ceasefire and negotiate with Russia. However, Kiev rejected the initiative. Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg that such an idea could only be discussed on a transparent platform "in the presence of countries with trusted leaders." According to him, a ceasefire would only freeze the conflict, not end it.

After his trip to Kiev, Orban said that he would brief the EU leadership and the leaders of other EU countries on the outcome of his meeting with Zelensky.

Hungary currently holds the six-months presidency of the Council of the European Union. However, European Council President Charles Michel said that Hungary did not have an EU mandate to hold talks with Ukraine and Russia. Orban, in turn, noted that Hungary did not need a mandate because it was acting on its own behalf.

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