Zelensky about Orbán's truce proposal: 'I think it's not very serious'

We haven't talked about it, but frankly I think it's not very serious when various initiatives are being made about Ukrainian lives and we learn about them from the media, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said about the Hungarian Prime Minister’s ceasefire proposal. The Ukrainian leader was attending the first part of the EU summit of heads of state and government, prior to which Viktor Orbán also spoke to the press about his idea of a Christmas ceasefire.

Responding to a question from RTL, Zelensky said that he respected the Hungarians for the care they have provided for Ukrainian refugees, but Orbán must respect Ukraine's sovereignty.

He is not personally authorised to organise negotiations and his relationship with Putin is a bit too close.

Frankly, talking about a POW swap seems a bit like political PR, he said. It has been done before and it sounds like something to be done at Christmas, but the Ukrainian leader said they are not in a festive mood and he himself is skeptical. As there is a war happening on Ukraine's territory, Zelensky says there can be no negotiations without his participation.

If they don't know what is going to happen after the ceasefire, this will only freeze the war. Of course they want it to end, but they want a durable peace, they want security guarantees, and Russia has shown countless times that it is not interested in this," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president said that he had posed the question to several of his partners: can you imagine a ceasefire and Putin coming back months later? Then everyone who made this deal would lose. We need a real plan, a strong position, Zelensky stressed.

On the impending end to the gas supply contracts at the end of the year, Zelensky made it clear that they would not extend them and would not continue to pass on Russian gas unless the Russians only receive payments for it after the war has ended. They are not going to help make billions for those who are killing them, he said.

As winter has set in, the Ukrainian president requested anti-aircraft missile systems to protect the country's power grid.

He said it was essential that the voice of Europe, including the UK, be united and remain united with the United States. European guarantees alone would not be sufficient, they would have to come from NATO, and therefore the United States would also be needed.

He is very happy to see the Russian army fleeing Syria, as this, together with the North Koreans fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine, shows how weak Vladimir Putin is.

He said he was not aware of any North Korean prisoners of war, and said it was documented that the Russians either burn the fallen or just leave them on the battlefield.

"Welcome, Donald!" – this is the message he will send to the new US president after his inauguration. He is confident that Donald Trump will stand by their side, understand their position and help them end the war.

“I think Putin is very dangerous, he doesn’t care about human lives…I think he is crazy, really,” and it's dangerous for everyone, Zelensky said.