Viktor Orban arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday for an unannounced visit. He has just taken office as the rotating president of the European Union.
During his stay in Kiev, the Hungarian prime minister said a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine could accelerate negotiations to end the war that followed the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
Mr Orban is a critic of Western support for Ukraine and is seen as the European leader closest to Russia. President Vladimir PutinThis was his first visit to Ukraine in 12 years, although he had met Putin several times during that time.
During his joint appearance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the body language between them was not cordial and neither of them answered questions from the media after making their statements.
Orban has previously delayed agreement on a €50 billion ($54 billion; £42 billion) EU aid package aimed at supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russia.
But for the next six months, his position as head of the European Council means he has an influential role as a figurehead for Europe. He came to Ukraine for talks on his second day in the role, saying there was a need to resolve past differences and focus on the future.
In his statement after their meeting, Mr Zelensky said it was “very important that European support for Ukraine remains at a sufficient level… it is important that cooperation between all neighbours in Europe becomes more meaningful and mutually beneficial”.
In his own statement, Orban stressed the need for cooperation, but also said he had raised the idea of a ceasefire to speed up negotiations with Russia.
“I have discussed this possibility with the President and I am grateful for his honest answers and negotiations,” he said.
President Zelensky did not respond to these comments.
However, many Ukrainians believe that such a ceasefire would only tighten Russia’s grip on the territory it has taken from Ukraine. If negotiations were to take place, they would prefer to conduct them from a position of strength rather than restraint.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country is open to “cooperation with everyone and solving problems”.
“This work is difficult and time-consuming, but it ultimately produces tangible results,” he told the BBC.
“During the visit, President Zelensky had a frank but constructive conversation with Prime Minister Orban about ways to achieve a just peace, and not just a ceasefire or peace talks.”
The two leaders also discussed bilateral issues, including the 100,000 ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine.
The EU opened accession negotiations with Ukraine a week before Hungary took over the presidency of the Council of the EU.
