Hungary has called for immediate peace talks to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, warning that a prolonged conflict will fuel an economic crisis that will imperil governments across Europe.
A swift ceasefire in the four-month-long war is Europe’s “only chance” to avoid a crippling recession, said Balázs Orbán, political director for Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, forecasting that other EU governments will shift from backing Ukraine militarily towards “rationality” and a rapid end to the conflict in the next few months.
Budapest has long been Moscow’s closest partner inside the EU and has provoked frustration in Brussels since the war began for its reluctance to sever all ties with Russia and declare unequivocal support for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.