According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Minister reported after his meeting with Marco Rubio that the United States has not given up on its efforts to organize the peace summit, the only issue in this regard is the timing, as they would like the meeting to bring about a real result that is reassuring for everyone and can bring closer long-term sustainable peace in Central Europe.

"So it's not a question of whether they want a peace summit. It's not a question of whether there will be one. The only question is the timing of when the preparations will be brought to a stage where the summit can definitely end with something positive in terms of peacemaking," he said.

"This also means that preparations are ongoing. That is, the news, fake news, rumors that the negotiations were broken off here, that the preparations were abandoned, and that was all that was left are false. This is not true, this is a lie, this is fake news," he continued.

"Preparations are still underway. The two foreign ministers are in contact with each other and will continue the work that will lead to a successful peace summit," he added, and believed that this was "very good news for those in favor of peace, but bad news for those in favour of war. "

"The fact that if we manage to prepare the peace summit, it will be held in Budapest is not a question. So this does not even arise as a question, the Americans continue to highly appreciate and value Hungary's pro-peace policy (...) They appreciate that Hungary is trying to contribute in every possible way to establishing peace in Central Europe," he said.

Earlier: 

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Friday that he had spoken by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the upcoming Budapest peace summit, where Putin is expected to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

“Preparations are in full swing!” Orbán wrote on social media, without sharing further details.

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said he had been in contact since Thursday evening with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov, and US deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

Szijjártó said American and Russian officials would continue talks on Friday, and a preparatory meeting could take place this week.

Once that happens, the exact date and schedule of the summit will be finalised, and Hungarian authorities will announce logistical details.

“Hungary is ready to ensure safe and peaceful conditions for the talks”, Szijjártó said, adding that Hungary is “the safest country in Europe, one of the safest in the world”.

He emphasised that sanctions on Putin would not affect Hungary’s ability to host the meeting.

“We are a sovereign country. We will welcome President Putin with respect and provide all conditions for negotiations with the US president”, he said.

The Kremlin confirmed the phone call, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that the Trump-Putin meeting could take place within two weeks.

Their previous meeting, held in Alaska on August 15, ended without results or public statements.

MTI: Why Budapest for Budapest peace summit?

Why Budapest? Since Friday, many people around the world have been asking and speculating why Hungary had been chosen as the venue for the meeting between the American and Russian presidents. The answer is simple: we are alone in Europe on the path to peace, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Facebook on Saturday.

"We have never lectured anyone. Neither when they were in government or in opposition. We have never closed the channels of negotiation," Orban added.

He said it would be difficult to convince anyone of anything without talking to them.

"And most importantly, we have consistently and persistently stood for peace for years. Cooperation instead of confrontation, mutual respect instead of stigmatisation. This is the path to peace," Orban said.

"Hungary is now the country in Europe where there is a serious chance that US-Russian negotiations will ultimately lead to peace. And where even European perspectives may prevail. Brussels may have isolated itself, but we will continue to negotiate," he added.

Budapest peace summit - Trump: Hungary safe country

Hungary is a safe country and thanks to Prime Minister Viktor Orban's efforts it does not have such problems as other countries have, US President Donald Trump said on Friday in connection with his plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest.

After receiving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, Trump said Orban was "a leader that we like".

"We like Viktor Orban. He likes me and I like him. It's a country that's a safe country. He's done a very good job. He's been a very good leader in the sense of running his country. He does not have a lot of the problems that other countries have," Trump said, adding that he thought Orban would be a "very good host."

Trump said his meeting with Putin would probably be bilateral, but added that he was in communication with Zelensky, too.
 

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