photo: minisztereolog.hu
During his visit to Kiev on Tuesday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to consider a time-bound ceasefire. The Hungarian prime minister also announced that Hungary would conclude a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Ukraine in order to settle bilateral relations. On Tuesday morning, Orbán, as prime minister of Hungary, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, arrived in Kiev, where, after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, he thanked the Ukrainian president for the invitation, adding that they had agreed to meet last Thursday in Brussels.
The Hungarian Prime Minister stressed that he had made his first visit to Kiev after assuming the EU Presidency because the issue of peace was important not only for Ukraine but also for the whole of Europe. He added that the war that the Ukrainians are currently going through deeply affects European security.
Mr Orbán very much appreciated the initiatives taken by the Ukrainian President in the interests of peace, but at the same time suggested - sharing his opinion with Volodymyr Zelensky - that these initiatives take a long time.
"The rules of international diplomacy are slow and complex. I have asked the President to consider whether it might be possible to reverse the order and speed up the peace negotiations by a quick ceasefire. A time-bound ceasefire that creates an opportunity to accelerate peace negotiations. I have assessed what the options are in this regard," he said.
He added that he had clarified these options with the Ukrainian President and that he was grateful for the frank talks and answers. He also indicated that he would prepare a report on the talks for the Council of the European Union - i.e. for EU prime ministers - on the basis of which the necessary European decisions could be taken.
The Hungarian Prime Minister wished Ukraine all the best and promised that during the Hungarian Presidency Hungary would be happy to be at Ukraine's disposal and help with whatever it could.
Regarding relations between Hungary and Ukraine, Orbán stressed that he had come to Kiev with the intention of making progress on bilateral relations. The Hungarian prime minister described the talks on bilateral issues as constructive, adding that it was high time for the meeting to finally take place, as there were a number of outstanding issues that needed to be settled and that had been the subject of many negotiations and disputes in recent years.
"We are trying to put the disputes of the past behind us and focus on the period ahead," he stressed.
Orbán said that he would like to see relations between the two countries improve significantly and that Hungary would therefore like to conclude a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Ukraine, similar to those Hungary has already concluded with its other neighbours.
He said that Hungary - if its resources allowed - would be happy to participate in the modernisation of the Ukrainian economy and would therefore like the situation to stabilise.
On the issue of the Hungarian indigenous community living in Ukraine, the Hungarian Prime Minister said he believed there was a chance to make progress.
At the same time, in relation to Ukrainians living in Hungary, he announced that he was pleased to hear Mr Zelensky's initiative to have a Ukrainian school in Hungary. He said that the Hungarian State had agreed to finance this endeavour and would run as many schools as necessary. If one, Hungary will run one, if ten, Hungary will run ten, he added.
Orbán recalled that Ukrainians had lived in Hungary before and there was a government of the Ukrainian national minority, but due to the high number of refugees there are now many more Ukrainians in Hungary than before. These families need to be taken care of, they need jobs, livelihoods and security, children need suitable schools and good teachers, the Prime Minister said, adding that it is important that Ukrainians who stay in Hungary feel at home in Hungary.
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