A Hungarian government official said on August 21 that the country is ready to host a trilateral summit between Russia, the US and Ukraine if selected.
“Hungary has twice offered to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and this offer remains valid,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stressed in a podcast broadcast on Facebook on August 21.
Szijjarto made the comments in response to reports that the White House is eyeing the Hungarian capital Budapest as a location for a potential trilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Politico also reported on August 19 that the US Secret Service is preparing for the summit in the Central European country, with Budapest emerging as the White House’s first choice.
“If necessary, we are ready to provide fair and secure conditions for such peace talks. We would be happy to contribute to the success of peace efforts,” Szijjarto said.
However, Hungary’s foreign minister has denied that President Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to discuss Ukraine’s possible accession to the European Union (EU) after the August 18 summit with President Zelensky and European leaders.
“I want to make it clear that there was no such call. Absolutely not. Period,” Mr. Szijjarto affirmed.