Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban cannot stop Ukraine's movement towards the European Union, and his attempts to block this process only show his support for Moscow's rhetoric, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a briefing today, quoted by Ukrinform, BTA reports.
Today, US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet at the White House.
„First of all, Orban wants to bring Trump to Hungary for a meeting with Putin [...] If there is a meeting - wherever it takes place - it will definitely lead to a ceasefire and an end to the war, and Ukraine will support it, whatever its format. But if such meetings are needed only for Orban's "election fireworks" and will not yield results, then we cannot support them, Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president stressed that the country can agree to any possible venue for negotiations, except for Russia and Belarus - "and then everything will depend on the result."
At the same time, the Ukrainian president expressed confidence that during Orban's meeting with Trump, the Hungarian prime minister would raise energy issues - in particular, sanctions against Russian companies.
“Everyone understands the consequences of the White House's sanctions. Orban will look for a way to secure special treatment. But we will not support such special treatment [...] We cannot allow the Russians to profit from energy. We will still find a way to ensure that Russian oil disappears from Europe. And it is very good that the United States is also interested in this“, Zelensky stressed.
The president also suggested that during the meeting between Trump and Orban today, the prime minister will insist that Putin wants to end the war.
“The rhetoric of the Hungarian prime minister is no different from that of Russia. He will say that Ukraine is losing the war. This is essentially a Russian live messaging service in the United States“, the head of state said.
Zelensky noted that Ukraine has nothing against Hungary or its people, but it cannot remain silent when the leadership of a neighboring country helps spread Russian propaganda.
“We are not doing anything against the Hungarian people and we are grateful to them. We are not doing anything against the Hungarian leader either, but we cannot act as diplomats when they say such things about us or help Russia with rhetoric, diplomacy or other steps. "We are defending our dignity, freedom and independence," he said.
According to him, Orban should focus not on "hatred for Ukraine," but on constructive relations and the development of the common European economy.