The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has ended in Moscow, RIA Novosti reported citing Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president's the press secretary.
The meeting took place in the Kremlin and lasted for a about three hours.
Peace will not come about without efforts, action must be taken, and this is why he came to Moscow, Viktor Orban said after the meeting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told a press conference after the meeting that he had an open exchange of views with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on international issues, including Ukraine.
Without a doubt, there has been a fairly exhaustive, direct and honest exchange of views on current international issues, including the conflict in Ukraine,
Vladimir Putin said after the meeting, adding that he discussed with Viktor Orban the possible ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, and Hungary's prime minister spoke about his recent visit to Kyiv.
Viktor Orban has called for a ceasefire to create the conditions for negotiations on Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said, adding, however, that a ceasefire or a pause would allow for the rearming of the Kyiv regime.
Moscow is in favor of bringing a full and complete end to the conflict,
Putin said.
But from the other side, he noted, they hear that there is no will to resolve the conflict in any way, pointing out that
the sponsors of this country continue to exploit and victimize the country.
"The way we see the situation," the Russian president said, adding that he and the Hungarian prime minister discussed this, "they are not yet ready to give up their position. They do not want to stop the fighting because the state of war must be revoked in this case," Putin explained.
Putin reiterated Russia's readiness for a negotiated settlement of the conflict, adding that Kyiv, on the other hand, continues to hope for a victory, believing that Ukraine's supporters will keep up efforts, trying to "use this country and its people as a battering ram, turning them into victims in the confrontation with Russia". In his view, Ukraine's leaders hold no interest in an agreement because they would have "near zero chance" of regaining their "lost legitimacy" in free elections after lifting the state of war.
Russia's president called the talks with Orban timely and useful and thanked him for his visit to Russia. "Moscow sees the Hungarian prime minister's visit as an attempt to restore dialogue,"
he said.