BUDAPEST, August 21. /TASS/. European leaders could once again undermine the conclusion of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, just as they did three years ago, in 2022, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on YouTube.

"Let us recall the Istanbul talks in the spring of 2022. At that time, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations were on the verge of finalizing an agreement, a text had been drafted, and they were close to signing it. But European leaders, determined to prolong the conflict [in Ukraine], effectively barred [Vladimir] Zelensky from putting his signature on the document," Szijjarto said.

He noted that "if the Istanbul peace agreement was derailed by European politicians advocating for war, then there are legitimate grounds to fear that they will try to do the same with the peace process initiated in Alaska" by the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

"I hope they will not be able to do it. I hope that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be able to complete the process leading to a peace agreement [on Ukraine] because it is in the interests of the entire world," Szijjarto emphasized.