The Ukrainian President's communications adviser, Dmytro Litvin, has strongly refuted statements by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claiming that Ukraine had rejected the "Christmas ceasefire" initiative. Litvin said that the Hungarian side had not consulted Ukraine, the Interfax news agency has reported.
The background to the matter is that Viktor Orban had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 11 December. According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, he had proposed a "Christmas ceasefire", which he said Ukraine had rejected.
However, according to Litvin, Ukraine has not received any notification or been approached by Hungary about a ceasefire initiative.
We have contacted Bertalan Havasi, Viktor Orbán's Press Chief on the matter, sending him questions related to the case and have asked him to clarify this discrepancy.
Litvin also said that Ukraine is working every day on the release of prisoners of war, and added that intense negotiations have been going on for two weeks on a major prisoner swap, which they hope to complete by the end of the year.
The Ukrainian adviser stressed that in close cooperation with the United States, Europe and other international partners, Ukraine is doing its utmost to achieve a comprehensive peace.
"As has been the case so far, it is not publicity campaigns that are needed, but a just peace and reliable security guarantees"
– Litvin said.
According to him, the release of prisoners of war and achieving a just peace remain the most important goals for Kyiv, which it intends to achieve in cooperation with its international partners. The Ukrainian government believes that such initiatives should focus on real results, not on political profiteering.
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