Zeleskyj stops Hungarian ceasefire proposal

Published 15 December 2024 at 13.11

Foreign. Russia accepted a proposal from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange over Christmas in Ukraine. But then it was rejected by Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelesky, Orban says to Hungarian radio according to Nyhetsbanken.

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However, Orban believes that there is still time to consider his proposals for a Christmas truce and a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

The Hungarian proposal aims to ensure that “at least no one dies on Christmas,” according to one model from the First World War.

On Wednesday, a cocky Zelenskyi appeared, accusing Orban of only wanting to “enhance his image at the expense of EU unity”.

Vladimir Putin's press chief Dmitry Peskov says at the same time that Russia “fully supports Orban's efforts to find a peaceful solution and arrange humanitarian issues related to prisoner exchange”.

– Russia has never refused peace talks and has repeatedly times declared ready to resume them on the basis of the 2022 Istanbul agreements, the Kremlin spokesman said.

During the Istanbul 2022 talks, Ukraine agreed to declare the country neutral, to limit its armed forces and promise to do not discriminate against ethnic Russians. Russia, for its part, would undertake to answer for security guarantees vis-à-vis Ukraine, together with a number of other countries.