Now is best time for Ukraine peace talks: Hungarian FM
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed that Russia is all for a diplomatic solution, but Kiev and its supporters, particularly the US and NATO, are unwilling to engage in dialogue.
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Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia on Monday, February 7, 2022 (AP)
The crisis between Moscow and Kiev cannot be settled on the battlefield, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.
The situation for peace talks to settle the Ukrainian war will deteriorate further, Szijjarto stated in Budapest on Friday. The Foreign Minister feels that the two parties are in a better position for discussions at the moment.
Last month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told German tabloid Bild that a Ukrainian triumph on the battlefield would be "impossible" for Kiev and its supporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed that Russia is all for a diplomatic solution, but Kiev and its supporters are unwilling to engage in dialogue.
After meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Szijjarto told journalists Friday that “there will be no better conditions for peace negotiations than the present," adding that “yesterday’s conditions were better than today’s, and tomorrow’s conditions will be worse than today’s."
Hungary prevented the European Union from offering the eighth €500 million package from the so-called European Peace Fund to the Kiev authorities in May. Hence, Orban has insisted that the ongoing hostilities stem from a "failure of diplomacy."
Instead of continuing a strategy of further escalation, the senior Hungarian leader asked the West to stop escalation immediately. Viktor Orban has also been particularly scathing in his criticism of the European Union's anti-Russian actions.
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Orban has also stated recently that Ukraine had "run out of strength," only persevering due to Western financial assistance.
Ukraine abandoned the agreements established when Russian soldiers withdrew from the Kiev area, and Moscow does not understand why Western countries are pulling Ukraine into NATO, posing a security concern, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin added that Moscow has repeatedly publicly voiced its readiness for talks with Kiev, stressing that "after the withdrawal of our troops from near Kiev - and we were asked to do this in order to create conditions for the conclusion of a final agreement - the Kiev authorities abandoned all previous agreements" and adding that now "the ball is completely on their side."
He also emphasized that, despite the West's inability to comply with the UN Charter, Russia is prepared to seek a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Doubling down, Putin stated that Russia has never violated the UN Charter and always acts in accordance with its ideals, adding that its principles should be recognized by everybody. "There should not be any double standards, unilateral sanctions, and attempts to ensure their own security at the expense of others," he said.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
