Vladimir Putin used the meeting with Hungary’s Viktor Orban to fire shots at Volodymyr Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian president is dodging peace talks so he doesn’t have to hold elections
Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin says the gruelling war in Ukraine will come to a “complete end” when Kyiv retreats from regions the Kremlin has snatched for itself.
On Friday, Putin claimed that Russia wants a “complete and final end” to the conflict as opposed to a temporary “truce or cease-fire”. He then stipulated that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – all areas which are internationally recognised as Ukraine’s sovereign soil.
“Russia is committed to the complete and definitive resolution of the conflict. The conditions for this are outlined in my speech (to the Foreign Ministry) – the withdrawal of all troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions”, he said at a Moscow press conference after meeting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The controversial visit saw Orban break from EU policy to chat with the warlord. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the Ukraine war, Orban said and added that Hungary is in a unique position being able to speak with both sides.
At the Moscow meeting, Putin claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been dodging peace talks. Putin claims that to engage in de-escalation, Zelensky would have to cancel martial law and hold presidential elections, which Putin believes he has no chance of winning.
Though Zelensky’s popularity has dropped from its 90 per cent high at the start of the conflict, a healthy 65 per cent of Ukrainians still feel he is the man to guide them through this war.
Speaking about Orban, the Russian president said the veteran statesman was mainly expressing the views of the West, including those about the conflict. He did, however, say that the meeting was an “attempt to restore dialogue and give it an additional impetus”.
Orban said his main objective while Hungary is the president of the EU Council is to ensure peace on the continent. “I wanted to know what is the shortest way to end the war, and I wanted to know the president’s opinion on three issues — what does he think about the existing peace initiatives on Ukraine, the possibility of a cease-fire and peace talks — what should be the order to hold them, and the vision of Europe after the war,” he said.
He added that in recent years “there have been almost no countries that could have contacts with both sides, and Hungary is one of the few such countries”. “There are still a lot of steps to be taken to get closer to the end of the war. We have made the most important step today by establishing contacts and will continue to work in this direction,” he said.
