Zelensky rejected Christmas ceasefire – Orban

Kiev also refused to carry out a major exchange of prisoners with Russia, according to the Hungarian PM

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has rejected a proposed Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner swap with Russia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday. 

Orban made the remarks on X in response to a post by Zelensky criticizing a phone conversation between the Hungarian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier that day. 

“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. 

Zelensky accused Orban of merely seeking to “boost personal image” with his diplomatic efforts and mockingly expressed hopes 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.” 

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“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,” Zelensky wrote.

Shortly after the social media exchange, Dmitry Litvin, an aide to Zelensky, flatly denied that any contacts between Kiev and Budapest on a proposed Christmas ceasefire and prisoner swap took place, effectively suggesting that Orban was not telling the truth.

“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 appeared to echo claims made by Zelensky about Orban’s true motives, stating that Ukraine needs “not PR, but a fair peace, and not blabber, but reliable security guarantees.”