“The peace mission launched by Viktor Orban last summer appears to be bearing fruit: the leaders of the two great powers who can truly bring the war to an end have sat down at the table,” Balazs Orban began in his post.
The first act of the Trump-Putin summit is a diplomatic breakthrough of historic proportions. For the first time, real negotiating space has opened for resolving the conflict, which in itself is a huge step toward peace. Since the outbreak of the war, for the past three and a half years, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has consistently, and often alone, emphasized that peace can only be achieved through negotiations.
“That is why he launched last summer the peace mission under which he personally negotiated with the Ukrainian, Russian, Chinese, Turkish, and now the American president as well. Hungary’s position is clear: there can only be a chance to end the war if the parties mutually recognize each other’s intentions and are willing to bring their positions closer together—and this is only possible through diplomacy,” he added.
Events of recent months show that this approach is beginning to become reality. The earlier Trump–Putin phone call and the back-channel talks facilitated by Steve Witkoff prepared the ground for the present summit. Opening communication channels not only became possible but also revealed willingness from both leaders. Now, finally, the most important thing has happened: the leaders of the two superpowers have met directly.
This is not only a symbolic but also a practical step, especially given that the pro-war European leaders — strategic allies of the ousted American administration—still represent a strategy built on prolonging the war. Until the last moment, they tried to persuade Donald Trump to commit himself to continuing the war—unsuccessfully. It is no accident that they had no place at the negotiating table.
The conflict, of course, has not ended — but still we have reason to be encouraged. For the first time in three and a half years, the real possibility of peace has emerged on the international stage. The consistent stance of Hungarian diplomacy — standing for a negotiated solution — is today no longer a minority opinion but one represented by the superpowers themselves. The launch of American–Russian dialogue also carries an important lesson: it is never too late for all those who truly want peace to take the first steps,” he concluded.
Cover photo: Balazs Orban (Source: Facebook / Balazs Orban)
