Orban states Zelensky rejected Christmas ceasefire
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced that Ukraine has turned down a proposed ceasefire for Christmas, along with a prisoner exchange with Russia. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has turned down a proposed Christmas ceasefire and a significant prisoner exchange with Russia, as stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday.
Orban shared his comments on X in response to Zelensky's criticism of his earlier conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“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. It’s sad that [Zelensky] clearly rejected and ruled this out today. We did what we could!” Orban wrote.
In response, Zelensky accused Orban of attempting to enhance his personal image through diplomatic means, mockingly hoping that the Hungarian leader “at least won’t call [former Syrian President Bashar] Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well.”
Zelensky emphasized, “No one should boost personal image at the expense of unity; everyone should focus on shared success. Unity in Europe has always been key to achieving it. There can be no discussions about the war that Russia wages against Ukraine without Ukraine,” he stated.
Following their social media exchange, Dmitry Litvin, an aide to Zelensky, categorically denied any communications between Kiev and Budapest regarding a potential Christmas ceasefire and prisoner swap, implying that Orban’s claims were untrue.
“As always, Ukraine has not authorized Hungary to do anything. As always, Ukraine is working on a daily basis to free prisoners, and for two weeks now, relevant contacts have been ongoing regarding a significant exchange by the end of the year,” Litvin told Ukrainian media.
The aide also seemed to support Zelensky's assertions about Orban's motives, noting that Ukraine seeks “not PR, but a fair peace, and not blabber, but reliable security guarantees.”
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
Orban shared his comments on X in response to Zelensky's criticism of his earlier conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“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. It’s sad that [Zelensky] clearly rejected and ruled this out today. We did what we could!” Orban wrote.
In response, Zelensky accused Orban of attempting to enhance his personal image through diplomatic means, mockingly hoping that the Hungarian leader “at least won’t call [former Syrian President Bashar] Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well.”
Zelensky emphasized, “No one should boost personal image at the expense of unity; everyone should focus on shared success. Unity in Europe has always been key to achieving it. There can be no discussions about the war that Russia wages against Ukraine without Ukraine,” he stated.
Following their social media exchange, Dmitry Litvin, an aide to Zelensky, categorically denied any communications between Kiev and Budapest regarding a potential Christmas ceasefire and prisoner swap, implying that Orban’s claims were untrue.
“As always, Ukraine has not authorized Hungary to do anything. As always, Ukraine is working on a daily basis to free prisoners, and for two weeks now, relevant contacts have been ongoing regarding a significant exchange by the end of the year,” Litvin told Ukrainian media.
The aide also seemed to support Zelensky's assertions about Orban's motives, noting that Ukraine seeks “not PR, but a fair peace, and not blabber, but reliable security guarantees.”
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
