The Hungarian government's call for a ceasefire in neighbouring Ukraine is "cynical" given large swathes of the country are occupied by invading Russian forces, the U.S. Ambassador to Budapest David Pressman said on Wednesday.
The U.S. envoy did not mention Prime Minister Viktor Orban by name, but Hungary's leader has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and peace talks - a move critics have said would amount to surrendering chunks of Ukraine's territory to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"When we hear politicians advocate for appeasement masquerading as peace, let's be very clear: one man can make peace today. If Putin stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends," Pressman told a panel discussion in Budapest, according to a transcript of his remarks released by the U.S. embassy.
