Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto visited the Belarusian capital Minsk Monday to urge peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in a rare visit by an official of a NATO member.
"Hungary expects all members of the international community to act for the sake of peace as soon as possible, and to avoid actions that risk prolonging or escalating the war," he said in a Facebook post.
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EU and NATO member Hungary has trod an ambiguous path on the war in neighboring Ukraine with Prime Minister Viktor Orban condemning Russian aggression without criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin by name.
Orban, who nursed close ties with both Putin and Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko before the war, also refuses to send weapons to Ukraine, instead calling for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks.
Russia's close ally Belarus allowed Moscow to use its territory as a launchpad for the invasion on February 24 last year.
"Obviously, many people will attack the visit, but our position is clear: communication channels must be kept open," said Szijjarto, who met his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik.
"Without communication channels there are no negotiations, without negotiations there is no peace," he said.
The Hungarian foreign ministry did not answer a request by AFP to confirm the subject of the talks.
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