On July 2, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will make his first trip to Kyiv after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials.
This was reported by the Financial Times, citing three people familiar with the situation, Radiosvoboda informs.
Orbán’s and Zelenskyy’s offices did not comment on this information officially.
The visit of Orbán, who is a critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, is scheduled to take place a day after Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.
In early May, Volodymyr Zelenskyy held telephone talks with Viktor Orbán, during which he “emphasized Ukraine’s interest in good neighborly relations with Hungary”.
Orbán, who has ruled Hungary with a parliamentary majority since 2010, has angered many EU leaders with his apparent attacks on democracy, the bloc’s fundamental principles of inclusiveness, and his opposition to sanctions against Russia. It has also been criticized for its close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In addition, Hungary has consistently criticized military assistance to Ukraine under various pretexts. In October 2023, Orbán said that his country continues to communicate with Russia “for the sake of peace”.
Last year, at the end of August, Viktor Orbán said in an interview that the West should conclude a deal with President Vladimir Putin that would not include the return of occupied Crimea and Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
In response to this statement, the Foreign Ministry said that “Ukraine does not trade either its territories or its sovereignty”.
