ISTANBUL

Hungary is ready to host peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine at any time, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Thursday.

Szijjarto underlined that Budapest stands prepared to provide “fair and safe conditions” for dialogue aimed at ending the war, Hungary's Magyar Nemzet newspaper reported.

“If we are needed, we are ready to provide appropriately fair and safe conditions for such peace negotiations. We are pleased if we can contribute to the success of peace efforts,” he said.

He recalled that Budapest made the offer in the first days after the outbreak of the conflict.

“Three days after the outbreak of the war, I spoke on the phone with my colleague, (Russian) Foreign Minister (Sergey) Lavrov, and Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration. I told both of them that Hungary wants peace, we want this war to end as soon as possible,” he said.

Szijjarto stressed that Hungary’s invitation has not changed.

“If they were looking for a venue for a dialogue that would bring peace and end the war, they could come to Hungary at any time. Let them know an hour in advance, and we would be ready to guarantee fair, decent, safe, and equal conditions for everyone in Hungary. They thanked me for that. I have since brought this up again, and I told them that our offer stands as long as it is needed,” he added.