Hungary's Orban urges Ukraine, Russia to agree on Christmas ceasefire: Kyiv reacts

Viktor Orban wrote about this in the X social network.

“At the end of the Hungarian EU Presidency, we made new efforts for peace. We proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange,” the statement says.

According to the Hungarian prime minister, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has allegedly abandoned this idea.

“We did what we could!” he added.

The Ukrainian President's Office reacted to Orban's statement

According to Dmytro Lytvyn, Ukraine's presidential communications adviser, the Hungarian side has not discussed anything with Ukraine, nor has it warned of its contacts with Moscow, RBC-Ukraine and Interfax-Ukraine report.

“As usual, the Hungarian side did not discuss anything with Ukraine. As usual, the Hungarian side did not warn about its contacts with Moscow. As always, Ukraine did not authorize Hungary to do anything,” Lytvyn said.

According to the presidential adviser, as always, Ukraine is working on a daily basis to release the prisoners of war, and “relevant contacts have been ongoing for two weeks now regarding a significant exchange by the end of the year.”

In addition, Ukraine is committed to a full-fledged peace and is doing everything in coordination with its partners to achieve it, “together with America, Europe, and other partners in the world.”

“As always, we need not PR, but a just peace, and not talk, but reliable security guarantees,” Lytvyn summarized.

• On December 11, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had a phone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin immediately after meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Florida. 
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the phone call: “We hope that Orban will not call Assad in Moscow.”