STORY: The Kremlin on Thursday said Russian President Vladimir Putin supported a "Christmas ceasefire" in Ukraine proposed by the Hungary's president.
Viktor Orban, who is among the most pro-Russian politicians in the European Union, suggested a pause in fighting and exchange of prisoners between Kyiv and Moscow.
Orban and Putin spoke on Wednesday.
Shortly after the Orban-Putin call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticized the Hungarian leader for undermining Western unity.
Zelenskiy on Thursday visited front-line forces near Zaporizhzhia, where he thanked the soldiers for protecting Ukraine and Ukrainian families.
Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has left tens of thousands of dead, displaced millions and triggered the biggest crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Zelensky has previously outlined what he called a "Victory Plan" which included commitments of Western military aid and NATO membership to ensure Russia did not use any ceasefire to prepare another military assault.
Russia has said it would never accept Ukraine joining NATO - or the deployment of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory.
On Wednesday, a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said, "if anyone expects Russia to make any concessions, then apparently these people do not have enough knowledge, and perhaps a short memory."
Next month U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will take office. He has vowed to swiftly end the conflict but has given no details on how he might achieve that.
