Hungary Signals Readiness to Host Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks

Hungary has reiterated its willingness to host potential peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirming the offer remains open.

Speaking in a podcast, Szijjártó said Budapest would provide “fair and safe conditions” if called upon, stressing that Hungary would be pleased to contribute to international peace efforts.

The prospect of Budapest emerging as a venue gained traction last week when Politico reported that the U.S. Secret Service had begun preparing for a possible summit in Hungary. U.S. President Donald Trump said on August 18 that preparations were underway for talks, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested a meeting could take place within two weeks. The White House has reportedly considered a trilateral meeting involving Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Hungary’s parliament voted in April to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, a move that could allow Putin to travel to Budapest despite a 2023 ICC arrest warrant against him for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.

While signaling Hungary’s readiness, Szijjártó pushed back against speculation about Hungary’s broader role. He dismissed reports from Reuters and Bloomberg that Trump had called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to discuss Ukraine’s European Union accession following a recent summit between European leaders and Zelensky. “I want to make it clear that there was no such call. There was not. Period,” he said.

Not all European leaders welcomed the idea of Budapest as host. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk voiced strong reservations, pointing to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine surrendered its nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees from the U.S., U.K., and Russia - promises later violated when Russia annexed Crimea and invaded Donbas in 2014, before launching a full-scale war in 2022. “Budapest? Not everyone may remember this, but in 1994 Ukraine already got assurances of territorial integrity there. Maybe I’m superstitious, but this time I would try to find another place,” Tusk wrote on X.

Other possible locations have also been floated. French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested Geneva, citing Switzerland’s tradition of neutrality. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis confirmed that Putin would receive immunity from arrest if he traveled there for peace talks.

For his part, Zelensky has consistently said he is prepared to negotiate directly with Putin, even on territorial issues. The Kremlin, while signaling openness to dialogue, has so far avoided agreeing to a direct meeting.