"Russia must leave Ukraine": US rejects Orban's ceasefire proposal

Any country with influence or a role in the Russian-Ukrainian war should make efforts to withdraw occupying forces from Ukraine, said US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel, rejecting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ceasefire proposal.

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"I will leave it to the respective countries to speak to their own policies, but we have been clear with partners and allies across the board that any country that has influence or has a role to play should play every effort in ensuring that Russia withdraws from Ukraine totally," he said.

Patel added that the only option to end the war is the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Yesterday, July 2, Orban visited Kyiv. During a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he said he respects Ukraine's peace formula but considers it too lengthy to implement. The Hungarian government head proposed an alternative: a ceasefire for further negotiations.

Later, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva stated that Zelenskyy listened to his interlocutor but presented his own position in response – achieving peace through peace summits.

Read also: Orban asks Zelenskyy to consider ceasefire and negotiations in Kyiv