One of Europe’s most pro-Russian leaders arrived in Kyiv in surprise visit only a day after assuming EU rotating presidency.
The only EU leader who has maintained ties with Russia since it invaded Ukraine in 2022, is set to "hold discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,” and other top officials.
Orbán's cortege with numerous cars arrived at the Hungarian embassy, the publication noted.
This is the first Hungarian PM's visit to Ukraine in many years. Orban did not come either during Zelenskyy's term of office, or during the previous president Petro Poroshenko's term.
He last visited Kyiv in 2012 for meetings with then-President Viktor Yanukovych.
“Orbán is in Kyiv tomorrow, unless there is a last-minute change,” the Guardian newspaper wrote earlier.
The plans for the visit came after lengthy negotiations on Hungarian-speaking minorities rights in Ukraine, one of the newspaper's sources in Budapest noted.
Orbán’s stance on Ukraine and the Russian invasion
Prime Minister Orbán is known for his pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian statements.
He has called Ukraine a "non-sovereign state," claimed that the EU lacks funds to support Ukraine, and defended Russian President Vladimir Putin, advocating for negotiations with him.
Orbán referred to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a "military operation" during a conversation with Putin on Oct. 17, 2023.
Orbán has also opposed Ukraine’s membership in both the EU and NATO.
He believes Ukraine should serve as a "buffer zone" between Russia and the West, arguing that otherwise, Russia will continuously "destroy" it.
Read also: Ukraine doesn't need to win — Hungarian PM
Ukraine doesn't necessarily need to defeat the Russians, Orbán stated on June 14 adding that the desire of "31 out of 32 NATO member countries" for this outcome is "mistaken."
Еhe official start of negotiations for Ukraine’s EU membership was announced on June 25 at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg.
Orbán criticized the EU accession talks but stated that Hungary would not block them.
He described the negotiations as a "purely politically motivated process."
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Nation
Author: Дарина Халперина
