Viktor Orban claims Russia-Ukraine peace deal could be signed in Budapest
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine may soon be signed in Budapest, calling the summit a “fact” during an interview with M1 TV.
Orbán revealed that the Budapest Peace Summit is expected to take place soon but did not disclose an exact date. Speaking from the Vatican, he also mentioned recent peace talks held in Sharm El-Sheikh, suggesting that negotiations involving the United States had made significant progress, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“The involved parties, including the Americans, negotiated for a long time, and then said the signing would take place within days. So, in 2–3 days, peace could be established and the agreement signed,” Orbán said.
According to him, lasting peace between Moscow and Kyiv can only be achieved with external mediation, primarily from the US or Europe.
“Europe does not want to negotiate with Russia, which is a catastrophic mistake,” he said, criticizing EU leaders for leaving Washington to lead talks that will “decide the future of Ukraine and Europe’s security.”
Orbán urged European leaders to engage directly with Moscow and reach a Russia–Europe agreement covering both Ukraine’s future and the continent’s broader security system.
Earlier in October, US President Donald Trump had announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest following a phone conversation. The city holds symbolic importance as the site of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the US, and the UK.
However, the Kremlin later backtracked, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claiming that Moscow would not agree to a ceasefire until the “root causes” of the conflict were addressed.
Trump eventually said on October 22 that he had not yet decided on the meeting. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto blamed the “pro-war political elite and media” for trying to sabotage the planned summit.
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