Orban: Russia and the US are close to an agreement – ​​only “one or two” questions remain

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said there were "one or two" unresolved issues remaining in US-Russian talks, the resolution of which could pave the way for a meeting between the Russian and US presidents in Budapest and potentially lead to a ceasefire and peace in Ukraine.

Speaking on board a plane en route to Washington, where he is scheduled to meet with Donald Trump on November 7, Orbán briefed Hungarian journalists on the current state of US-Russian contacts on the Ukrainian conflict. He said the parties are close to agreeing on their positions—only minor disagreements remain, which, if resolved, will pave the way for a peace summit in Budapest.

The Prime Minister noted that one of the key topics of his White House visit would be ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, on October 16, after a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Trump announced an agreement to meet "soon" in the Hungarian capital. However, the summit was subsequently postponed due to pending negotiations between Moscow and Washington. Officials from both sides stated that the meeting would take place when favorable conditions existed to achieve tangible results in resolving the conflict.

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"One or two issues remain unresolved in the US-Russian negotiations. If they are resolved, a peace summit could take place in Budapest within a few days, and from that point on, depending on the agreement of the parties, a ceasefire and peace could come [to Ukraine]," the prime minister said in a brief interview with the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.

The idea of ​​a summit in Budapest arose after a phone call between the US and Russian presidents on October 16, when Trump announced his intention to hold the meeting in the Hungarian capital. Preparations for the event were later delayed: Moscow and Washington noted that they had not yet agreed on all key positions and postponed the date until suitable conditions emerged. Orbán, who maintains bilateral contacts with both sides, last expressed hope that the meeting would still take place after the final resolution of the remaining issues.

Expectations for the US summit with Central Asian countries were previously voiced.

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