"I asked the president to support us in our peace mission. The positions of the warring parties are still far from each other, but if the friends of peace join forces, together we can take the next step in the direction of peace," Orban said in a video address published on X after talks with Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington.
The Hungarian prime minister also called the Turkish president the only leader with successful experience in mediating the Ukraine conflict by concluding the Black Sea Grain Initiative, also known as the grain deal.
Last week, Orban visited Russia for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hungary's prime minister described his visit as a continuation of the "peace mission" he began with a trip to Kiev early last week.
The Turkiye- and UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed in July 2022, which provided for a humanitarian corridor to allow safe sea exports of Ukrainian and Russian agricultural products and fertilizers, expired July 18, 2023, after Russia refused to extend its participation, citing persistent violation of the package deal's component to facilitate Russian grain and fertilizer exports.