“I have asked the President to quickly consider the possibility of a ceasefire.” Hungarian President Viktor Orban said on Tuesday, July 2 in kyiv, contrary to the positions of the Ukrainians and their European allies. The Hungarian leader, whose country has just taken over the rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1,is July for six months, is the only one in the EU to have remained close to the Kremlin since the start of the war with kyiv in February 2022.
For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky reaffirmed that Viktor Orban’s visit illustrated the “common European priorities, how important it is to bring a just peace to Ukraine and to the whole of Europe.”
He also advocated for the maintenance of a “sufficient level” » of the military aid paid by Europe to kyiv. An aid to which Viktor Orban opposes. At the beginning of the year, he had vetoed an envelope of 50 billion euros, which was finally validated with a delay.
Tensions dissipated
Bilateral relations marked by strong tensions, particularly around the Hungarian minority in Ukraine. But Viktor Orban has assured that he wants “Leaving the discussions of the past behind us” and thanked his host for the atmosphere “frank and open” of their exchanges. “We are at Ukraine’s disposal and we will do everything we can to help it”he assured.
The Hungarian leader also disapproves of the European sanctions against Russia and is trying to soften them. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov describes him as a man who “firmly defends the interests of his country.”
The Hungarian president’s visit to Ukraine comes at a difficult time for the Ukrainian army, which is short of men and weapons in the face of Russian forces, which are slowly gaining ground on the Eastern Front.
