Hungary’s Orban asks Putin for immediate Ukraine cease-fire

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s prime minister says he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to call an immediate cease-fire in the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he spoke with Putin by phone on Wednesday and urged the Russian leader to end the military conflict in neighboring Ukraine. Orban said he also offered to host a conference in Hungary’s capital with the warring parties and the leaders of France and Germany to work out the cease-fire terms. Orban spoke at a news conference days after his Fidesz party won a fourth consecutive term leading the Hungarian government. The right-wing nationalist leader is considered Putin’s closest ally in the European Union.