Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss current issues of Hungarian-Ukrainian relations, Orban's media relations representative said, according to Reuters. Radio Free Europe reminds that this is his first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the war, as announced by the Hungarian government.
The visit by Orban, an outspoken critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, comes a day after Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.
"The most important topic of discussion is the chance to create peace," Orbán's press chief, Bertalan Havasi, told Reuters in an emailed response, adding that the two leaders would also discuss Hungarian-Ukrainian bilateral relations.
Orban, Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally among European Union leaders, has often opposed EU initiatives to support Ukraine in its defense against Moscow's aggression from an invasion in February 2022, Reuters recalls.
Orbán told Putin last year that Hungary never wanted to confront Russia. In early 2024, EU leaders needed weeks to override the Hungarian prime minister's veto to give 50 billion euros in new aid to Ukraine.
The EU opened membership talks with Ukraine last Sunday, giving the country a political boost in the midst of its war against Russia, although it still has a long and difficult road ahead of it to join the bloc, Reuters concludes.
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