Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has once again called for efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war during a joint appearance with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the capital Moscow.
According to an official Russian translation, Orbán said that Europe has been living in the shadow of the war in Ukraine for more than two years. "Europe needs peace," he said.
Orbán made the surprise trip to Moscow amid fierce criticism from EU officials, Western politicians and from Ukraine. The EU stressed that the Hungarian leader had no official EU mandate for negotiations with Russia.
Peace will not come, but must be worked for by all sides, Orbán said. However, the positions of Moscow and Kiev are very far apart. "A great many steps must be taken to move closer to ending the war," he said.
Establishing contact was key, he said, adding: "I will continue to work in this direction."
