Zelenskyy declined Orbán's call 'tensely, though politely' - Hungary’s Minister
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (Photo: Getty Images)
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó claims that Budapest allegedly proposed organizing a conversation between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, Ukraine reportedly declined the offer, according to VEOL.
Szijjártó once again repeated Hungary’s proposal for a "ceasefire and mass prisoner exchange," which Budapest intended to offer to Ukraine and Russia for Christmas.
According to the Hungarian minister, after Orbán’s conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, he asked Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and the Head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak, to arrange a phone call between Orbán and Zelenskyy.
Szijjártó claims that Ukraine "quite unusually for diplomacy" and "somewhat tensely, though politely" declined the call.
"There is a proposal on the table, the likes of which have not been made in the past thousand days, and it does not depend on Hungary whether this proposal will be considered and approved by both sides. One side has reviewed it and finds it acceptable, but the other side has taken an unacceptable position," said Szijjártó.
Background on Hungary's proposal
Recently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó held a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The topic of the discussion was Hungary’s proposal for a "ceasefire and mass prisoner exchange."
Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that this is part of Orbán’s "game" to bolster his own image.
