Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made a proposal to Ukraine for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. However, Ukrainian officials say he didn’t talk to them about it.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said that Hungary didn’t discuss the proposal with Ukraine at all. He also said they didn’t tell Ukraine about their talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Orban earlier criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media for supposedly rejecting his Christmas truce proposal. However, this was not true. Zelensky actually criticized Orban for talking to Putin.
Ukraine and Russia have exchanged prisoners several times before, but this time Hungary is involved. The Kremlin says Ukraine rejected Orban’s proposals, but Ukrainian officials deny this.
“We are working hard to release our prisoners,” Lytvyn said. “We are discussing a big prisoner exchange by the end of the year.” He also said that Ukraine doesn’t need PR or empty promises, but rather reliable security guarantees for peace.
Hungary has close ties with Russia and has criticized EU sanctions against them. They have even obstructed military aid to Ukraine in the past. A scandal happened in June when Hungary transferred 11 Ukrainian soldiers of Hungarian ethnic origin from Russian captivity without talking to Ukraine first.
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