Orbán says he respects Zelenskyy but criticizes his war decisions
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (photo: Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he respects Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but believes he has made wrong decisions regarding the war with Russia, in an interview with Polish TV channel wPolsce24, as reported by WP Wiadomosci.
Orbán stated that in international relations he follows the principle of respect, and the same applies to Ukraine and its president.
"He is the president of Ukraine, elected by Ukrainians. I always try to behave appropriately, which is necessary if you want to have good relations. Therefore, I respect President Zelenskyy, but I believe he has made mistakes," said the Hungarian Prime Minister.
According to Orbán, one of those mistakes was allegedly Zelenskyy's rejection of his proposal last year to make peace with Russia.
"He rejected my interpretation that time is on Russia's side, but today we see what we see. President Zelenskyy's situation is not easy. It is very difficult to unite a people engaged in a hopeless war," the Hungarian Prime Minister noted.
Hungary blocks Ukraine's EU accession
Hungary is blocking the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is attempting to fuel anti-Ukrainian sentiment in the country. He recently found himself in a scandal after allegedly being unable to locate Ukraine on the map.
In addition to Ukraine's EU accession, the new EU budget draft has caused outrage in Hungary. Initially, Orbán himself complained about it, followed by criticism from the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.
The main issue is that the budget includes over 100 billion euros for Ukraine. Hungary, which lives on EU subsidies, is demanding that Ukraine not be given this money.
Orbán also recently accused Zelenskyy of making "theatrical threats."
