Negotiations are needed to resolve the Ukrainian crisis because that is the only alternative to war, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday.

He said that at the upcoming EU summit in Brussels on Thursday he would present the position that the EU must immediately respond to the Russian military action, underlining that this response should not be of a military nature but must focus on dialogue.

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The EU's response should be "resolute, immediate and aimed at integration," he said, adding that the Hungarian proposal will also be presented in Brussels.

Hungary's interest is that Ukraine should be a democratic state. "We want a democratic Ukraine where citizens can feel safe and at home, including citizens belonging to minorities, such as Hungarians. As a result, Hungary does not accept the cancellation of the language law and insists that the rights of Hungarians cannot to be violated as a result of the changes in Ukraine," he said.

He reiterated that the most important factor in the Ukraine conflict for Hungary is the safety of Hungarians living in Hungary and beyond the border. He added that Ministry of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi visited Transcarpathia to make it clear to local Hungarians that "they can rely on us."

(Prime Minister’s Office)